Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday sounded an alert for police and administrative officials in north Bengal districts, asking them to ensure no militant sneaks into Bengal.

She also instructed the elected representatives of her party to work in tandem with law enforcers and the administration to prevent any untoward incident in the region.

North Bengal, which includes the strategic Siliguri corridor, the slimmest part of the Indian sub-continent, has eight districts. Six of these districts share borders with Bangladesh, while some districts also share borders with Nepal and Bhutan. From Siliguri, the China border is less than 200km away.

“The police should be on alert and the intelligence branch should work more actively in the bordering areas. We have to ensure no militant sneaks into north Bengal or the state. There are reports that people are entering Bengal from Assam and Bihar. We have to constantly monitor it,” Mamata said at an administrative review meeting of north Bengal districts at Uttarkanya, the branch secretariat of the state.

The fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh last August, the recent overtures of China with regard to Arunachal Pradesh and escalations along the India-Pakistan border have put the central and state security agencies on high alert across north Bengal.

In recent months, people associated with Bangladeshi terror outfits like the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) and the Jamatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) have been arrested from different districts of Bengal.

“The BSF is guarding the (India-Bangla) border as it is their responsibility. But that does not mean that the state police should be complacent. You should increase mobile patrolling, intensify vigilance, and monitor the border as well as the vital installations. If the defence forces (posted in the region) seek any help, you should extend it to them,” said the chief minister.

“It has come to our notice that some people from outside are moving across different areas and gathering personal details of residents. Such persons have been arrested in some districts. Let me make it clear that no one should share personal details unless sought by an authorised person," said Mamata.

She asked the elected representatives of her party to be alert and share information, if any, with the police and the administration.

Mamata, who termed north Bengal as a “very sensitive” region, also asked the administration to be careful while revising the voter list.

“There should be monitoring of those who work in computers (enrolling names of new voters). We have found the name of one person in three places. How can it happen? Administrative officials should pay surprise visits in blocks to ensure that the work (of voter list revision) is carried out in a transparent manner,” she said.

Interacting with officials and elected representatives of the districts, Mamata asked them to keep watch on areas along the India-Bangladesh border, especially along unfenced stretches. “You should ensure that no one enters (infiltrates) through these stretches,” she told them.