Home Minister Amit Shah arrives in Tripura to join NEC plenary meet; 6 Bangladeshis held in state hours before his arrival

Earlier in the day, Shah virtually inaugurated a BGF accommodation at the Akhaura Integrated Check Post (ICP) ahead of his arrival in Tripura.

“SSB (Sashastra Seema Bal) has a proud history of service, protection, and friendship of 61 years… In 1963, since SSB was formed, they worked to create a feeling of patriotism and connectedness with the nation among bordering villages and later, served to protect the 2,450 km open border with Nepal and Bhutan for years. When borders are closed, the responsibilities of border forces reduce but when borders are open, their responsibilities increase manifold… They have stopped narcotics, human trafficking, arms smuggling, and anti-national activities with high efficiency,” the Home Minister said during the virtual inauguration ceremony.

He also said that Bihar and Jharkhand have become fully “Naxal-free” and added that SSB jawans had a “crucial role” in the achievement.

During his visit to Tripura, the home minister is also slated to lay the foundation stone for the BJP state headquarters on Sunday.

The upcoming four-storeyed building would have modern facilities including an auditorium and small meeting halls.

Meanwhile, hours before the home minister’s arrival, Tripura Tapshili Jati Samonwoy Samiti – a frontal organisation of the opposition CPI(M) – held protests across the state demanding Shah’s resignation from the Union cabinet for his remarks on Ambedkar.

The Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee also held a protest rally at Chowmuhani in Agartala, demanding Shah’s resignation.

The state police and the Border Security Force (BSF) have been put on high alert for the home minister’s three-day visit to Tripura and tight security was observed along the India-Bangladesh international border in the state.

Six Bangladeshi nationals including two children and two women were apprehended at a private guest house in Khowai district Friday.

They were residents of Bangladesh’s Feni district and were allegedly trying to sneak back into Bangladesh with the help of some Indian touts.

During the preliminary investigation, they confessed to having gone to Delhi in search of jobs a few months ago and illegally procuring Aadhaar cards, and PAN cards, among other documents.