BSF men 'harassing' border area villagers seeking to access farms: West Bengal CS told

Counterview Desk
Hooghly-based human rights activist Kirity Roy, secretary, Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), in a representation to the West Bengal chief secretary, bringing to light what he calls "attack upon Constitutional rights of the villagers by the Border Security Force", has said that people of two border villages, Gobra and Gobindapur, are being unnecessarily harassed while seeking to access their agricultural lands.
Stating that BSF personnel place "considerable restrictions" in accessing their agricultural lands, he adds, this is "a direct violation of article 19(1)(d) of the Indian Constitution which allows Indian citizens ‘to move freely throughout the territory of India’."

Text:

I would like to draw your kind attention to the plight of villagers of Gobra and Gobindapur (District: North 24 Parganas, Block: Swarupnagar, Gram Panchayat: Gobindapur) in accessing their agricultural lands, situated across the BSF (Border Security Force) manned border gates on the Indo-Bangladesh border.
Gate number 26 (Gobindapur ‘BOP’ (MIHIR) 112 BN, NAGA ‘D’ Coy BSF Camp to IBBR (T Junction)) is perennially kept closed by the BSF personnel which compels the residents of the villages mentioned above to take a detour of about two kilometres to reach another gate in accessing their own agricultural lands. During the monsoons, the villagers have to wade through waist-deep water to reach their agricultural lands. The non-cooperation of the BSF personnel in opening gate number 26 forces the villagers to spend a considerable amount of time travelling back and forth every day which limits the time they would otherwise spend undertaking agricultural activities. The opening and closing hours of the gates are also not strictly adhered to and no leniency is shown to the villagers who face such an inconvenience in engaging in their core livelihood activity. Hence, due to the fear of harassment, they often have to reach the concerned gate, way early ahead of the opening and closing hours which further reduces their hours of engaging in agricultural work.
It must be noted that gate number 26 did not feature in the initial plans during the fencing of the concerned border areas and the construction of the IBBR (Indo-Bangladesh Border Road). It only came after the villagers demanded the same to ensure easy access to their agricultural lands. We were hopeful that the coordinated efforts of multiple government departments would address the concerns of the villagers through the construction of the gate.

We would like to inform your office with deep concerns, that despite the construction of the gate and related infrastructure, the same is not opened and the villagers are still forced to undertake arduous trek on foot to reach their agricultural lands.

The decision to not open gate points to insensitivity of BSF personnel and disregard for the interests of the local population

This is a direct violation of their right to practice their livelihood which is an integral part of Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, guaranteeing the ‘Right to Life’. The considerable restrictions placed upon them by the BSF personnel in accessing their agricultural lands is again a direct violation of article 19(1)(d) of the Indian Constitution which allows Indian citizens ‘to move freely throughout the territory of India’.
The decision to not open the gate, which came up after a long democratic struggle points to the insensitivity of the BSF personnel and their disregard for the interests of the local population. ‘Amra Simantabasi’ (We the border populace), a community-based association had also written to the District Magistrate of North 24 Parganas on 29/09/2023 (scanned copy attached) but no appropriate action has been taken to date. The letter had been signed by affected individuals and the same had also been attested and recommended for appropriate action by an elected representative of the Gobindapur Gram Panchayat.
We urge your office to take immediate measures to address the concerns of the villagers and ensure that gate number 26 henceforth remains accessible to the villagers, daily at least for 12 hours (6:00 hours to 18:00 hours).
Thanking you, in anticipation of a favourable response from your end.

Comments

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

Lata Mangeshkar, a Dalit from Devdasi family, 'refused to sing a song' about Ambedkar

By Pramod Ranjan* An artist is known and respected for her art. But she is equally, or even more so known and respected for her social concerns. An artist's social concerns or in other words, her worldview, give a direction and purpose to her art. History remembers only such artists whose social concerns are deep, reasoned and of durable importance. Lata Mangeshkar (28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was a celebrated playback singer of the Hindi film industry. She was the uncrowned queen of Indian music for over seven decades. Her popularity was unmatched. Her songs were heard and admired not only in India but also in Pakistan, Bangladesh and many other South Asian countries. In this article, we will focus on her social concerns. Lata lived for 92 long years. Music ran in her blood. Her father also belonged to the world of music. Her two sisters, Asha Bhonsle and Usha Mangeshkar, are well-known singers. Lata might have been born in Indore but the blood of a famous Devdasi family...

'Batteries now cheap enough for solar to meet India's 90% demand': Expert quotes Ember study

By A Representative Shankar Sharma, Power & Climate Policy Analyst, has urged India’s top policymakers to reconsider the financial and ecological implications of the country’s energy transition strategy in light of recent global developments. In a letter dated April 10, 2026, addressed to the Union Ministers of Finance, Power, New & Renewable Energy, Environment, Forest & Climate Change, and the Vice Chair of NITI Aayog, with a copy to the Prime Minister, Sharma highlighted concerns over India’s ambitious plans for coal gasification and the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR).

Manufacturing, services: India's low-skill, middle-skill labour remains underemployed

By Francis Kuriakose* The Indian economy was in a state of deceleration well before Covid-19 made its impact in early 2020. This can be inferred from the declining trends of four important macroeconomic variables that indicate the health of the economy in the last quarter of 2019.

Incarceration of Prof Saibaba 'revives' the question: What is crime, who is criminal?

By Kunal Pant* In 2016, a Supreme Court Judge asked the state of Maharashtra, “Do you want to extract a pound of flesh?” The statement was directed against the state for contesting the bail plea of Delhi University Professor GN Saibaba. Saibaba was arrested in 2014, a justification for which was to prevent him from committing what the police called “anti-national activities.”

Food security? Gujarat govt puts more than 5 lakh ration cards in the 'silent' category

By Pankti Jog* A new statistical report uploaded by the Gujarat government on the national food security portal shows that ensuring food security for the marginalized community is still not a priority of the state. The statistical report, uploaded on December 24, highlights many weaknesses in implementing the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in state.

Why Indo-Pak relations have been on 'knife’s edge' , hostilities may remain for long

By Utkarsh Bajpai* The past few decades have seen strides being made in all aspects of life – from sticks and stones to weaponry. The extreme case of this phenomenon has been nuclear weapons. The menace caused by nuclear weapons in the past is unforgettable. Images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from 1945 come to mind, after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the cities.

Subaltern voices go digital: Three Indian projects rewriting history from the ground up

By A Representative A new wave of digital humanities (DH) work in India is shifting the focus away from university classrooms and English-language scholarship, instead prioritizing multilingual, community-driven archives that amplify subaltern voices . According to a review published in the Journal of Asian Studies , projects such as the People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI), the Oral History Narmada archive , and the Bhasha Research and Publication Centre are redefining how the country remembers its past — often without government funding or institutional support.

Beyond Lata: How Asha Bhosle redefined the female voice with her underrated versatility

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The news of iconic Asha Bhosle’s ‘untimely’ demise has shocked music lovers across the country. Asha Tai was 92 years young. Normally, people celebrate a passing at this age, but Asha Bhosle—much like another legend, Dev Anand—never made us feel she was growing old. She was perhaps the most versatile artist in Bombay cinema. Hailing from a family devoted to music, Asha’s journey to success and fame was not easy. Her elder sister, Lata Mangeshkar, had already become the voice of women in cinema, and most contemporaries like Shamshad Begum, Suraiya, and Noor Jehan had slowly faded into oblivion. Frankly, there was no second or third to Lata Mangeshkar; she became the first—and perhaps the only—choice for music directors and all those who mattered in filmmaking. Asha started her musical journey at age 10 with a Marathi film, but her first break in Hindustani cinema came with the film "Chunariya" (1948). Though she was not the first choice of ...

Search This Blog