Union Home Minister Amit Shah has begun a three-day visit to Bihar’s Seemanchal region, covering the districts of Kishanganj, Araria, Purnia, and Katihar, in what is being viewed as a significant security and political outreach ahead of upcoming electoral contests in eastern India. Addressing a public rally in Araria, Shah stated that the Narendra Modi government is committed to removing illegal infiltrators from Indian territory, asserting that the effort would go beyond merely deleting names from voter rolls and would instead focus on identifying and removing every such individual from the country.
During his speech, Shah emphasised that the government’s objective was to free the nation from illegal infiltration and announced that related initiatives would soon begin across the Seemanchal region. The area, located along the Bangladesh–Nepal border, has long been regarded by security agencies as sensitive due to alleged illegal migration routes, document forgery networks, and cross-border smuggling activities. His visit signals an intensified focus on border management and demographic monitoring in eastern India.
As part of the tour, Shah is scheduled to hold closed-door meetings with district magistrates and senior police officials from multiple border districts. These meetings are expected to review intelligence inputs concerning infiltration corridors, settlement patterns, and demographic changes in the region. Security officials have indicated that individuals entering through Bihar are often believed to move onward into neighbouring West Bengal districts such as North Dinajpur, Malda, and Murshidabad, making the issue a cross-state concern.
A major point of political contention linked to the visit is the Centre’s proposed Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in border areas. The government maintains that the exercise is intended to ensure electoral integrity and strengthen national security by identifying suspected illegal migrants. However, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has criticised the move, describing it as an indirect attempt to implement a National Register of Citizens (NRC)-type process. The issue has intensified political friction between the central government and the West Bengal administration, with both sides presenting sharply contrasting interpretations.
Officials have noted that rapid population growth and shifting settlement patterns in parts of Seemanchal and northern West Bengal have contributed to renewed attention on migration-related concerns. While the Bharatiya Janata Party views these trends as evidence of continued cross-border movement, the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal argues that such narratives are being used to polarise voters ahead of elections.
The strategic importance of Seemanchal further adds to the significance of Shah’s visit. The region lies close to the Siliguri Corridor, often referred to as the “Chicken Neck,” a narrow stretch of land that connects mainland India to its northeastern states. Security planners consider stability in the adjoining north Bengal–Seemanchal belt critical to safeguarding this vital logistical and strategic link. Shah’s tour, following earlier migration and border security reviews in Assam and Tripura, suggests that the Centre is increasingly approaching eastern border management as part of a unified security framework encompassing multiple states.
