BSF personnel keep vigil at the India-Bangladesh border at Chhatrahati, in Dakshin Dinajpur district of West Bengal. File
| Photo Credit: PTI
The story so far: In January, India and Bangladesh exchanged words over security measures at the border, including issues around fencing, with both countries summoning diplomats and sending a message about protocols and past agreements.
What is the length of the border?
India shares its longest border with Bangladesh which is 4,096 km. After the regime change in Bangladesh last August, disputes have erupted at several places over border fencing. While Bangladeshi officials allege that tensions have arisen at five places along the border because of fencing, the Government of India has reiterated its commitment to ensuring a crime-free border.
How much of the border is fenced?
The annual report of the Ministry of Home Affairs for the year 2023-24 points out that of the total length of the India-Bangladesh border of 4096.7 km, about 78% or 3196.705 km, has been fenced. India’s border with Bangladesh passes through five States — Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura and West Bengal — and is guarded by six frontiers of the Border Security Force (BSF): Assam Frontier, Meghalaya Frontier, Mizoram and Cachar Frontier, Tripura Frontier, North Bengal Frontier and South Bengal Frontier.
While in some frontiers over 80% of the border is fenced, in certain other areas the fencing has not even crossed 50%. For instance, in the Meghalaya Frontier, out of 443 km, 367 km (82.8 %) has been fenced whereas in the South Bengal Frontier which guards about 913 km from Sundarbans to Malda (in West Bengal) only about 405 km (44%) has been covered by fencing. The disparities in border fencing is because of the challenging terrain and habitations too close to the international border. For instance, 364 km of the 913 km of the border guarded by the South Bengal Frontier is riverine, with Ichamati and Padma serving as the international border between the two countries.
The Ministry of Home Affairs report notes that there have been some problems in the construction of fencing in certain stretches on this border. While the river and the chars (silt lands formed in and along the river) pose geographical challenges to erecting fences, sometimes the border population resists fencing as it can create obstacles in accessing their land close to the international border.
What is the protocol for border fencing?
The 1975 Joint India-Bangladesh Guidelines for Border Authorities states that after the identifiable boundary line, whether ‘real’ or ‘working’ has been fixed, neither side will have any permanent or temporary border security forces or any other armed personnel within 150 yards on either side of this line. “No permanent post will be constructed till the final demarcation has been done and the problem is resolved,” the agreement states.
In places where the border population is settled close to the international border and fencing is required within 150 yards, both countries have to mutually agree on it. Recently, disputes have emerged in such areas where the BSF authorities claim that their counterparts — Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) — had agreed on erecting fences but are not honouring the agreements made before August 2024.
Director General of BSF Daljit Singh Chawdhary said even if certain areas are unfenced along the border, it does not necessarily mean that infiltration or other cross-border activities are going on. He pointed out that wherever there are such gaps, technological solutions are used, like flood lights, cameras and drones.
What lies ahead?
There is a push from the Government of India to complete fencing on the remaining stretches. While the political rhetoric of accusing the BSF for lapses in border management by the ruling Trinamool Congress continues in West Bengal, at a policy level the State government agrees that there is a need for the border to be fenced. In January 2025, the West Bengal Cabinet approved the allocation of around 0.9 acres of land in Karimpur to the BSF for setting up fences.
Despite disputes emerging in the Malda Rajshahi and Cooch Behar Lalmonirhat border, border guards of both the countries have exercised restraint and held talks to ease the situation. “Since August 5, 2024, after the unrest in Bangladesh, BSF carried out many SCPs (simultaneous-coordinating patrolling) to keep vigil and held 643 border meetings with BGB,” a press statement by the BSF stated on December 1, 2024. The issue of border fencing is also likely to dominate the Director General-level talks between the BSF and BGB, scheduled to be held from February 16 to 20.
Published – February 02, 2025 05:00 am IST
