On Thursday, Nityanand Rai, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, inspected the India-Nepal border at Panitanki, about 40 km from here, before leaving for the Himalayan state of Sikkim. Rai inspected specific locations on the international border. He was accompanied by senior Border Security Force (BSF) officers and the Shastra Seema Bal (SSB), which guards the India-Nepal and India-Bhutan borders.

Rai told the reporters, “The SSB has been guarding these two borders which share with our friendly nations with resilience and bonhomie. We have very close relations with Nepal and also excellent relations with Bhutan. Today (Thursday), I visited the borders to take stock of the situation.” 

Rai's visit to the region comes 20 days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visit. On December 20, Amit Shah was at the SSB's Siliguri Border Headquarters in Ranidanga, located on Siliguri's outskirts, to attend the central security force's raising day.

During the course of his visit, Shah stressed the importance of the Siliguri Corridor - the narrowest part of the Indian subcontinent, bordered by Nepal on the north and Bangladesh to the south. He said that for years, the SSB has been guarding and protecting the unfenced border of Nepal and Bhutan and has prevented infiltration and illegal activities. The repeated visits of Union ministers to Siliguri and the surrounding border areas indicate that the Centre is turning its attention to the region, taking into account the statements of a section of Bangladeshi leaders.

After the fall of Sheikh Hasina, many, including leaders of Bangladeshi terrorist groups like Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), have threatened to cut off the "chicken's neck" or Siliguri corridor from the entire northeast India.

A retired police officer who has served in the region said, “It is evident that along with Bangladesh, the central government is equally focusing on two other international borders (Nepal and Bhutan), considering the strategic location of north Bengal and putting the security forces on alert.” 

According to SSB sources, Panitanki in the Kharibari block of Siliguri subdivision of Darjeeling district is a famous trade and transport route between India and Nepal. Around 50,000 people and hundreds of vehicles travel the Indo-Nepal border daily via this route.

“Over the years, the SSB in Panitanki has arrested many criminals and infiltrators, including Pakistani and Chinese nationals. As it is a porous border, it is more challenging for the personnel to identify such people. Despite these challenges, it is being done,” a source said.