Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah chaired a review meeting on West Bengal's law and order situation in Kolkata, attended by the Chief Minister of West Bengal, State Chief Secretary, and senior officials from both the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and West Bengal government.
Shah issued multiple directives to strengthen the state's security apparatus, judicial system, and police capabilities. He specifically directed implementation of a 'Women Outreach Programme' prioritizing women's security in rural areas, emphasizing regular interaction with officials to create awareness and empower rural women, with the state government authorized to contact MHA directly for any needs in this regard.
For internal security strengthening, emphasis was placed on establishing an Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), and Special Investigation Agency (SIA) modeled after the NIA within the state. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) will conduct a thorough review of all terrorism and UAPA-related cases concerning West Bengal. Directives were also issued to remove illegal encroachments on government land in border areas.
Shah assured adequate budgetary support for modernization of state police and improvement of service delivery systems, including comprehensive review of police force cadre to increase strength to national average, rationalization of police district numbers, time-bound filling of all vacant posts, review of training capacities, phasing out reliance on civic volunteers, and prioritizing constable recruitment.
A consensus was reached to convert one-third of security camps in formerly Left-Wing Extremism affected areas into Public Service Centres to ensure government service access. Additional directives included capacity building in cybersecurity, holding regular NCORD meetings to combat drug trafficking, and formulating a comprehensive flood management plan for Kolkata. Key priorities for immediate action were identified with directions for time-bound implementation.