E-Paper
Borders remained tense, both sides intensified vigil after Hasina’s ouster
BGB enhances border security with surveillance and drones as disputes linger with BSF over illegal nationals and construction issues along the Indo-Bangladesh border.
Along the Indo-Bangladesh border, the Border Guard Bangladesh(BGB) has intensified security on their side of the border by installing more surveillance equipment, setting up additional border out posts(BOPs), and using drones, officials on the ground said adding that in the last one year the border disputes that arose related to construction work remain unsolved even as some other new flashpoints have emerged in recent months. On Tuesday(August 5), it will be one year to the day when Bangladesh plunged into a political turmoil forcing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to flee the country and seek asylum in India.
BSF officials on the ground said that in the last one year, the situation along the border has been volatile with the forces locked in a standoff over different issues – the most recent is related to taking back Bangladesh citizens living illegally in India.
An official aware of the matter said that despite the biannual meeting of the chiefs of BSF and BGB in February 2025, there are about a dozen sites where the two forces are yet to reach a compromise on building a fence within 150m of the border. “There are nearly a dozen sites where BGB has raised an objection despite the two forces agreeing for the construction of the same during the previous government. The work is still stalled at the sites and despite the DG level meeting in India earlier this year, nothing has been resolved. There is no animosity but the current regime has refused to acknowledge these construction works within 150m that was approved by the previous government. The matter will again be taken up in the meeting schedule in Dhaka sometime next month.”
A second official said though flag meetings are being held in the junior sector commandant level, the most recent standoff is related to Bangladesh’s refusal to take their nationals back at some places. The official said that at least 1400 Bangladesh nationals have been handed to BGB personnel from the BSF frontiers of Tripura, North Bengal, Meghalaya, and South Bengal. The number for the Guwahati and Mizoram-Cachar frontier was not immediately available, but officials said the number is lesser than that in the above-mentioned four frontiers. West Bengal shares the longest border with Bangladesh at 2216.7 km, followed by Tripura (856 km), Assam (263 km), Meghalaya (443 km), and Mizoram (318 km).
“Of the 1400, around 920 illegal nationals handed back to BGB at Tripura this year include those who were deported from Gujarat, Maharashtra and other states. The others were those apprehended at the border while trying to enter India illegally. There has been no formal deportation from the West Bengal frontier of people caught in other states. Those handed back to BGB at the Bangladesh border along West Bengal, were people caught entering India illegally or were living illegally near the border area. Though BGB has been checking identity papers of their nationals and taking them back, there have been a few instances of this leading to a problem,” the official said adding that there has been at least two major cases reported in Lalmonirghat and Mankhachar where BGB refused to take the Bangladesh citizens back.
A third officer said that at many places along the border, especially in the West Bengal frontier, the Bangladesh army has also started conducting patrolling in the border villages. The BGB has also constructed a floating border outpost in the Sunderban -- their third in the river. “Our people on the ground have reported that the BGB are building outposts and bunkers. We object if the bunkers/outposts are within 150m because for that construction to happen, both forces must agree. Their army taking over some parts of the border is not a recent development but has been happening since August 5 last year because of their internal clash. Their army is controlling such tense areas. But they have placed heightened surveillance and have started installing CCTV cameras and using drones at different places. We lodge a formal protest only when their drones enter our airspace,” the officer added.
