Krishnanagar, July 8: Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra accused BJP MP and Union Minister Shantanu Thakur of issuing official passes for smugglers at the Indo-Bangladesh border. On Monday she tried to corner the Ministry of Home Affairs drawing its attention by sharing an official letter purportedly signed by BJP MP and Union Minister Shantanu Thakur on his letterhead addressing the Commandant of BSF’s 85-Battalion, in which he has urged to allow a person to carry 3kg “beef”.
The letter shared by Moitra on her X handle created a controversy and caused embarrassment to the BJP leadership.
Moitra, who is set to face a probe by Delhi police for her alleged derogatory remarks about NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma, in her post said, “Union Minister (Shantanu Thakur) has printed forms on official letterhead to @BSF_India 85BN issuing “passes” for smugglers on Indo-Bangla border. In this case for allowing 3 kgs of Beef…”
In her post, she also tagged the official handles of the Home Ministry and mentioned Gau Rakshak Senas and Godi Media.
Shantanu Thakur reacted to the post in strong words terming it as shocking and an example of lack of knowledge on the part of Trinamool MP. In a hurriedly called press conference at his residence, he acknowledged issuing the “recommendation”.
“It is unfortunate that Mahua Moitra doesn’t know the ground realities at the border. The letter was issued to a person from the Hakimpur area of Swarupnagar where BSF regulates people’s movements and carrying daily-use commodities. They frisk people and allow them to carry items only that have recommendations of local gram panchayat members. But since most gram panchayat bodies are controlled by Trinamool, its members don’t issue such recommendations to the political rivals. So I issued a recommendation letter, which is not a “pass” to the smugglers”. “Mahua Moitra deliberately buried to accuse me…I tried to help people to survive. But she misled people”, Thakur added.
Multiple sources in border areas of Nadia and North 24 Parganas and BSF said that such a recommendation is “quite normal” for carrying certain commodities close to the international border.
Union Minister has printed forms on official letterhead to @BSF_India 85BN issuing “passes” for smugglers on Indo-Bangla border. In this case for allowing 3 kgs of Beef.
Hello @HMOIndia , Gau Rakshak Senas, Godi Media. pic.twitter.com/iYXdihtrVI
— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) July 8, 2024
Senior BSF officials of the South Bengal Frontier in Calcutta, who are aware of Mahua Moitra’s tweet said that in many places along the Indo-Bangladesh border, mainly where fencing could
not be erected due to typical geographical conditions or for legal issues, a “regulation” has been imposed to ensure “quantity control” for people to prevent “vulnerability of smuggling”.
“Such regulation is done so that people can take commodities or items of their use in limited quantity only and not dare to use for smuggling purposes”, a senior BSF officer of South Bengal Frontier told The NfN.
“We don’t allow people to move with cattle close to the border for the possibility of cattle smuggling. But we cannot prevent people from having beef. But to regulate the use of many such items we have in consultation with the local administration devised a policy to allow people to carry those items like beef on the recommendations of local administration whenever they have such requirement”, an officer of DIG rank said.
At Hakimpur, no fencing could be erected along the domination line due to a riverine border. Around ten thousand people live in the area, who have to access crossing a Naka checking point put by BSF that aims to “regulate” the movement of the villagers there. Carrying essential commodities is controlled and regulated by BSF on the recommendation issued by local panchayat members, mostly representatives of Trinamool. The problem cropped up after these members stopped issuing recommendations to their political rivals.