Security agencies intensified vigilance along the Bihar-West Bengal border on Thursday as the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections got underway. Katihar district was placed on high alert, with police conducting mirror-checking drives at 11 strategic entry and exit points. Every vehicle passing through the district is being thoroughly inspected, and the inter-state border has effectively been sealed to prevent illegal activity.
Authorities said the crackdown is part of a zero-tolerance approach to ensure peaceful and fair elections, particularly along routes vulnerable to drug trafficking and smuggling. Anti-narcotics operations in recent days have disrupted several illegal networks, while surveillance has been extended to Kishanganj and Purnea districts. Katihar Superintendent of Police Shikhar Chaudhary stressed that every suspicious movement is under strict monitoring, with digital and ground-level checks transforming the border into a fortified security zone.