West Bengal polls: North 24 Parganas' border with Bangladesh sealed till Wednesday
The Indian authorities have identified 3 specific categories for exemption from these restrictions
The international border between Bangladesh and the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal has been suspended for three days, starting yesterday evening (26 April), as part of heightened security measures for the second phase of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly elections.
According to an order issued by North 24 Parganas District Magistrate and District Election Officer Shilpa Gourisaria, the movement of people and vehicles through the land border will be restricted from 6pm on April 26 until the conclusion of polling on Wednesday evening (29 April).
The decision to seal the border aims to ensure the smooth conduct of elections in 33 assembly constituencies within the district, where voting is scheduled to take place on April 29 from 7am to 5:30pm.
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Consequently, import-export activities and general passenger movement through the Benapole-Petrapole land port will remain halted during this period.
The Indian authorities have identified three specific categories for exemption from these restrictions.
Special permission will be granted for emergency medical cases travelling from Bangladesh to India; voters of West Bengal who are travelling to their respective districts to cast their ballots on 29 April; and vehicles carrying perishable goods.
To ensure the order is strictly enforced, the Indian district magistrate has directed the local superintendents of police for Basirhat and Bongaon, along with the police commissioners of Barrackpore and Bidhannagar, to implement the restrictions.
Border Security Force (BSF) battalion commanders and local administration officials at the sub-divisional and block levels have also been tasked with maintaining the seal until the election process is finalised.
