Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to attend a series of programmes in Siliguri on Friday as part of his three-day visit to West Bengal, with his engagements focusing on the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), border security and awareness about India’s new criminal laws.
Shah will visit the SSB Frontier Headquarters in Siliguri, where he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stones for various infrastructure projects of the force. He will also interact with SSB personnel during his visit.
As part of the interaction, the Home Minister will join SSB personnel for a traditional “Bara Khana” or communal meal.
His first major programme is scheduled at the SSB Frontier Headquarters at around 11:15 am.
Later in the day, Shah will attend an exhibition and public programme at Kawakhali Ground in Siliguri on the country’s three new criminal laws. The event is scheduled for around 2:30 pm.
The three new criminal laws — the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) — came into force on July 1, 2024, replacing the Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act, respectively.
Shah is also scheduled to attend a meeting at Hotel Mayfair in Siliguri at around 4:20 pm. The meeting has been listed as a review meeting related to the helpline.
A key focus of Shah’s three-day visit to West Bengal is expected to be a review of security arrangements around the strategically important Siliguri Corridor, popularly known as the “Chicken’s Neck”. The narrow corridor serves as a vital link between the rest of the country and the northeastern states.
The Home Minister is also expected to chair a border-security review meeting on August 22.
Shah arrived in West Bengal on Thursday evening. His Friday schedule places SSB infrastructure development, interaction with security personnel, awareness of the new criminal laws and security-related reviews at the centre of his engagements in Siliguri.
–IANS
