Amit Shah on 3-day visit to Bihar; to chair review meeting on infiltration in Seemanchal

New Delhi, Feb 24 (PTI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah will embark on a three-day visit to the sensitive border areas of Bihar from Wednesday with a focus on demographic changes in the state's Seemanchal region due to infiltration and illegal religious structures along the border, officials said Tuesday.

Shah will camp in the border areas for three days, during which he is scheduled to hold detailed discussions with district magistrates, superintendents of police, and other senior administrative officials from the seven bordering districts.

Seemanchal comprises several northeastern districts of Bihar, including Araria, Kishanganj and Purnia, where Shah is scheduled to hold detailed discussions with officials on issues of infiltration and demographic change, and to review the law and order situation and border management, the officials said.

During the meeting, he may seek a report on illegal religious structures built in the border areas and action taken by the local authorities on the infiltrators who are allegedly changing the demographics of the area, they said.

Authorities may be asked to present assessments of demographic patterns, security concerns, and enforcement actions.

The home minister will also hold discussions with the senior officers of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), the central force tasked with guarding around 2,400 km border with Nepal and Bhutan, the officials said.

The deliberations may cover surveillance mechanisms, intelligence coordination and steps taken to prevent cross-border movement without documentation.

Shah has been asserting during his speeches that every infiltrator would be detected, deleted from the voters' list and deported to their countries.

"Our government will handpick and throw out every single infiltrator from India...They will be detected and deported to their countries," he had said in October last year during an election rally.

Officials familiar with the preparations said Shah is expected to seek reports on alleged illegal religious structures constructed in border areas and the measures taken by local authorities in response.

During the visit, he will also conduct a review meeting of the Land Port Authority at Kishanganj Collectorate on Wednesday. Next day, he will inaugurate Border Out Posts at Letti and Indarwa besides virtually launching and laying foundation stones of various schemes of the SSB.

Shah will also review the implementation of phase 2 of the Vibrant Villages Programme, the officials said. PTI ABS ABS KVK KVK