The process of installing the cameras has already been initiated and strategic locations have been identified by the police across the islet
Soumya De Sarkar, Malda: The Bhutni islet in Malda, a crucial transit point between West Bengal and the neighbouring state of Jharkhand, is being brought under the surveillance of CCTV cameras extensively by the district police to monitor movement of people from the neighbouring state.
The process of installing the cameras has already been initiated and strategic locations have been identified by the police across the islet.
The decision, police sources said, has been made after it has been found that in some crimes reported in the district, anti-socials from Jharkhand were involved and they had used Bhutni as their entry and exit point.
A senior police officer said that on June 1, 2019, there was an attack on two employees of the state irrigation department which left one of the dead and the other seriously injured. It was found that criminals from Jharkhand were involved in the crime. Also, recently, gold jewellery and cash were looted in Englishbazar district headquarters which was also allegedly the handiwork of Jharkhand criminals.
“We have reports that criminals from Jharkhand often come to Bhutni and move into other parts of Malda district to extort money from people. A number of contractors who carry out anti-erosion and other works of the state irrigation department feel scared in Bhutni and adjoining areas because of these gangs,” the officer said.
That is why the police have decided to install cameras to keep a watch on the island.
Boats run on a regular basis among both banks of the Ganga, with Bhutni on one side and Jharkhand on the other. Bhutni, which is surrounded by the Ganga, is around 40km from the district headquarters. Around 1.25 lakh people dwell in villages under three panchayats.
Earlier, residents had to take a boat to reach other parts of the district but in November 2019, a 2.5km bridge was built for them.
“The bridge came as a boon for the residents of Bhutni but the crime rates started increasing in Malda district as miscreants from Jharkhand exploited the advantage of getting into different parts of the district by crossing the Ganga through boats and then crossing the bridge in vehicles,” said a police source.
Taking note of the issue, the state upgraded the police outpost at Bhutni into a full-fledged police station. However, police officials now believe that additional surveillance is necessary in the islet to prevent crimes in the district.
“Bhutni is a crucial point in terms of law and order. Hence it has been resolved to wrap the entire islet with CCTV cameras. Cameras have already been installed in four locations and soon those will come up in some other places. We have readied CCTV monitoring kiosks in some places of the island,” said Alok Rajoria, SP, Malda.
Along with Bhutni, the district police have installed around 200 night vision CCTV cameras across Malda district, especially in areas which are close to Jharkhand, Bihar and Bangladesh, he added.
