Amit Shah inspects indigenous border security technology in West Bengal

Union Home Minister Amit Shah inspects the surveillance system of the Border Out Post at Jumagachh BOP of the 18th Battalion of the BSF's North Bengal Frontier from the watchtower in Siliguri on July 18, 2026. Photo: X/AmitShah via ANI. Kolkata Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday (July 18, 2026) said the Siliguri corridor in West Bengal, which was “once a corridor of infiltration under previous governments”, is now becoming synonymous with a secure border.As part of his three-day visit to the State, which ends on July 19, Mr. Shah visited the Jhumagachh Border Outpost (BOP) of the 18th Battalion of the BSF’s North Bengal Frontier in Siliguri, where he inspected indigenous and state-of-the-art technologies aimed at strengthening border security. “I reviewed the operational preparedness by observing the exhibition of the Intruder Warning System, Radio-based Fence Intrusion Detection System, Gate Management Software, and the Indigenous Border Security System installed on the new-design fence. Our borders, equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and modern alert systems, are becoming an ideal example of modern border security,” Mr. Shah wrote on social media. Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviews the operational preparations during an exhibition at the Border Guarding Conference organised at the Jhumagaachh Border Outpost in Siliguri on July 18, 2026. Photo: X/@AmitShah via ANI. He also chaired a high-level meeting with senior BSF officers in Siliguri, which was also attended by Chief Minister Adhikari, Members of Parliament, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Border Management Secretary Rajendra Kumar, Intelligence Bureau Director Mahesh Dixit, BSF Director General Praveen Kumar, senior State police officers, State government officials, and district administration officials.Earlier in the day, State Minister Agnimitra Paul said the Union Minister’s visit would focus on international border fencing and security in the Siliguri Corridor, commonly referred to as “Chicken’s Neck”. “For the past 15 years, the Supreme Court had directed the previous government, but it did nothing but play politics over the issue,” Ms. Paul said.₹77 Cr. projects inauguratedMr. Shah virtually laid the foundation stone for and inaugurated development projects worth ₹77.06 crore. It included laying the foundation for the construction of a 4-km border fence to be built at ₹30 crore on newly acquired land for two border outposts in West Bengal. Speaking during the event, the Minister stated that the government is establishing a quadrangular security grid to fortify the borders. He emphasised that the welfare of security personnel guarding the nation’s borders and their families is a top priority for the government. The government is working towards making the borders completely secure and preventing infiltration in border areas through the concept of ‘Smart Borders’. The BSF has already said that it will expedite border fencing in coordination with other government departments. However, the Sundarbans, with its thick mangrove forests and several river channels, remains a significant challenge. Soon after the BJP assumed power in West Bengal, Mr Shah had said that the party’s victory in the State would plug “one of the biggest holes” in the country’s border security. “The Central and State governments will work together to turn the border into an ‘impenetrable fortress’ for national security,” Mr. Shah had said on May 8.Throughout the 2026 Assembly election campaign in the State, the BJP leadership highlighted the issue of infiltration from Bangladesh and promised to fence all unfenced areas along the international border to prevent illegal crossing. India shares a 4,096 km border with Bangladesh, of which more than half—2,216 km—lies in West Bengal, while Tripura shares an 856 km, and Assam a 267 km. Almost 80% of the India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal is already fenced, according to previous official records. Published - July 18, 2026 10:44 pm IST