Governor Bose calls 'tunnel to Bangladesh' a matter of national security

West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose has expressed concern over the discovery of a tunnel underneath the house of an alleged fake gold idol dealer in South 24 Parganas district, asserting that it poses a “national security concern”. The tunnel, unearthed by the police in the Kultali area on July 15, connects to a nearby canal that flows into the Matla River.

“The existence of the well-planned and structured tunnel reportedly leading to a nearby canal flowing into the Matla River in the Sunderbans beyond which lies the Indo-Bangladesh international border gives rise to a serious national security concern,” the Raj Bhavan said in a post on X on Sunday.

The owner of the house and fake gold dealer, Saddam Sardar, was suspected to have used the tunnel to escape during a police raid. He was later arrested.

The governor alleged that the local police were “reportedly aware” of the “thriving fake gold mafia”, and “now the situation has come to such a pass that it puts the state in a very bad light since it is compromising our national security.” Bose also called for a report on the action taken by the state government to check organized crimes along the international borders.