Firebrand Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra recently posted on X an image of the letterhead of Union Minister of State Shantanu Thakur. The letter requested the “Company Commando” of the 85 Battalion BSF to permit Jiyarul Gazi of Hakimpur to carry three kilogrammes of beef. The authenticity of the document has more or less been confirmed by the minister, according to a report published in ThePrint on 9 July.
Thakur has alleged that the BSF in the area is providing protection to TMC politicians. Alleging political bias by the BSF has become a trend among West Bengal politicians. I can vouch for the political neutrality of the BSF, having commanded a large frontier in West Bengal. In over three years commanding the North Bengal Frontier, neither I nor any of my subordinates was ever approached by any politician for any kind of favour or request. The allegation has no basis as the force is controlled by the central government, with troops from all parts of the country, and has no vested interest in helping any political party.
In this case, it is relevant to understand the geography of the area to put things in perspective. The village Karimpur is heavily populated, with a large percentage of Muslims. It is located on the bank of the river Sonai, which flows along the International Border, and the edge of the village is just about 20 metres from the border. Being located so close to the border, it is difficult to keep it under continuous surveillance as a border observation post (BOP) can’t be established ahead of the village. Therefore, the BOP Karimpur has been established some distance away.
The movement of men and goods to and from the village is regulated by a check post established by the BSF on the road approaching the village from the rear. The only resource deployed ahead of the village is a patrol boat of the Water Wing of the BSF in the river Sonai. The BOP Karimpur falls under the jurisdiction of the South Bengal Frontier of the BSF and was manned by the 85 Battalion of the BSF until a few months ago. However, the BOP is currently under the jurisdiction of an ad-hoc unit due to a thinning out from the border initially for elections and now for the annual changeover.
Also read: Meghalaya BJP Minister Sanbor Shullai asks people to eat more beef than any other meat
A practice misused
The village has been notorious for cattle smuggling and other prohibited items. There used to be more than a thousand shops in the village storing goods far in excess of what could be consumed locally. Most of these goods, after being brought to the village, were smuggled to Bangladesh. In view of this, the BSF, along with civil administration and local residents, formed a committee named the “Hakimpur Check Post Committee” and placed restrictions on the quantum of goods that could be taken to the village market. The consensus decision to form the committee and impose restrictions was challenged in the Calcutta High Court. However, the petition was dismissed by the court, stating unequivocally that the BSF could impose reasonable restrictions at or around the border area to ensure security and integrity. There have been a couple more writs filed by vested interests, but the court has upheld the BSF’s mandate.
A widely reported statement by an anonymous BSF source claiming that such permits are common practice is far from the truth. It must be noted that the consumption of beef is not prohibited in West Bengal. Therefore, allowing a small amount of cattle for local consumption by villagers situated ahead of the fence close to the border upon their request is not uncommon. However, this is the first instance I have come across of beef being taken across during non-festival times.
It appears specific to Hakimpur village that beef in small quantities in its raw form is allowed to be carried by villagers upon written recommendation from a Gram Panchayat member. The Gram Panchayat members have misused this practice by issuing multiple such recommendations daily, allegedly for a consideration. Villagers thus carried quantities much larger than what could usually be consumed locally, leading to the assumption that a large percentage of the beef was being smuggled to Bangladesh, where there is high demand. This enabled them to circumvent, to some extent, the strict measures taken by the BSF to control cattle smuggling.
In view of this misuse, local BSF commanders were actively considering discontinuing this arrangement. However, it could not be implemented due to the withdrawal of the unit for elections and the subsequent annual changeover.
It is also learnt that there was a conflict between Gram Panchayat members belonging to BJP, who complained to MoS Thakur that TMC members were discriminating against BJP supporters. This may explain why Thakur took it upon himself to issue such permits. On-camera, Jiyarul Gazi, the transporter to whom the minister issued the recommendation, stated that he had paid Rs 200 for the letter, raising serious ethical and moral questions. Thakur is a public servant, and it is odd that one of his constituents had to pay money to get a small task done. This is a serious breach of privilege and needs to be investigated.
Further, it is ironic that a member of a staunch Hindu supremacist party, which considers cow sacred, recommended that a person be allowed to carry beef. This is unqualified hypocrisy.
Also read: Muslims In India have sought ban on cow slaughter for decades. But politics didn’t allow it
Improve management
The episode highlights that the poor inhabitants of border areas are subjected to exploitation even for small tasks by the very people supposed to work towards enhancing their quality of life. It also brings into focus the dilemma that the BSF faces in fulfilling its mandated tasks of inculcating a sense of security among border residents while preventing smuggling and other border crimes. Such restrictions are the reason relations between the force and border residents are mostly adversarial, despite the BSF’s efforts to win them over through good behaviour, civic action, and border area development programmes. The feeling among the border population is that the security measures are highly intrusive regarding their personal lives.
Data indicates that the quantum of cattle seized at the border has drastically reduced from what it used to be a decade ago. Authorities attribute this to stricter measures put in place by them. The reduction in cattle smuggling is also attributed to reported efforts by Bangladesh to initiate cattle rearing within the country to reduce dependence on Indian cattle. While this may be true, the BSF authorities must analyse the quantum of beef being taken across to the villages located across the fence in raw form. If this practice is prevalent in other parts of the border along Bangladesh, the nature of smuggling may have changed from cattle to raw beef, even though it would be difficult to preserve raw beef and prevent it from spoiling during transportation.
The BSF is largely apolitical, and this elite Border Guarding Force must continue to remain so. Politicians must refrain from interfering in the work of the BSF and from directly addressing their communications to lower operational functionaries.
Most importantly, the episode points to the urgent need to review border management practices to enhance the quality of life for border residents rather than being intrusive.
Sanjiv Krishan Sood is the BSF Additional Director General (Retd). He tweets @sood_2. Views are personal.
(Edited by Prashant)