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Stay clear of disputes between the India, Bangladesh border: WB CM

ByHT CorrespondentHT Correspondent
Jan 21, 2025 07:31 PM IST

Amid the growing border tension between India and Bangladesh, farmers from both countries clashed along the international border in West Bengal’s Malda district on January 18

Kolkata: Stay clear of disputes between the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and the Border Security Force (BSF), said West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday at Malda.

The confrontation on January 18 led border guards from both nations to fire stun grenades and tear gas to disperse crowds that swelled to nearly 1,000 people on each side (Ani)
The confrontation on January 18 led border guards from both nations to fire stun grenades and tear gas to disperse crowds that swelled to nearly 1,000 people on each side (Ani)

Amid the growing border tension between India and Bangladesh, farmers from both countries clashed along the international border in West Bengal’s Malda district on January 18. The confrontation led border guards from both nations to fire stun grenades and tear gas to disperse crowds that swelled to nearly 1,000 people on each side.

“There are ongoing issues across the border. Securing the border is the BSF’s responsibility. If any injustice happens, we will look into it. But if there are any arguments going on between them (Border Guard Bangladesh and the BSF), stay clear,” Banerjee said while addressing a public distribution programme in Malda district on Tuesday.

The clash at Sukhdevpur, about 50 km south of Malda town, erupted after Indian farmers accused their Bangladeshi counterparts of crossing the border to steal crops, BSF officials said.

The situation quickly escalated from an altercation to stone pelting between residents of both countries. Indian farmers have been alleging that miscreants from Bangladesh were stealing and damaging their crops. There are farmlands beyond the barbed wire fences, close to the international border, where Indian farmers grow crops.

“I would request the police to announce on loudspeakers (when tension sparks off at the border) to urge our villagers to stay away from the international border. The administration will take care of the rest. I trust that the relations (between the two countries) would improve again,” she added.

The clash site at Sukhdevpur was less than a kilometre from Sabdalpur, where tensions first erupted on January 5 when the BSF began constructing a border fence along a 1.2 km stretch within 150 yards of the international border.

Banerjee also urged the local police and people to ensure that no miscreants and terrorists take shelter in any hotel or house. “Ensure that no miscreant or terrorist can stay in a hotel or rent a house and treat it as a safe haven. The nation, its people, and the state would suffer. There can only be development where there is peace,” she added.

Diplomatic relations and the atmosphere at the border have soured since August 5, when former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India. The Border Guard Bangladesh has halted BSF’s construction at “6-7 different places” in North and South Bengal frontiers where work was mutually agreed upon under the previous government.

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