This image is used for representational purposes only.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

New Delhi:

The border forces of India and Bangladesh will hold their bi-annual talks in Delhi next week with issues such as border fence construction and attacks on BSF personnel and civilians by Bangladeshi criminals figuring among the discussion points, an official statement said on Friday.

The 55th Director General-Level Border Coordination Conference between BSF and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) will be organised at the Border Security Force (BSF) headquarters here between February 17-20 February.

This would be the first top-level meeting between the two sides after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in August last year.

The Indian side will be led by BSF Director General (DG) Daljit Singh Chawdhary while the BGB delegation will be headed by Maj General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui.

The conference is being organised to discuss border-related issues and for better coordination between both the border guarding forces, the BSF said in a statement.

Discussions will be held on prevention of attack/assault on BSF personnel and Indian civilians by Bangladesh-based criminals/nationals, how to prevent trans-border crimes, construction of single row fence, action against Indian Insurgent Groups in Bangladesh, issues related to border infrastructure, joint efforts for effective implementation of Coordinated Border Management Plan, Confidence Building Measures and other issues.

The last edition of these bi-annual talks was held in Dhaka in March last year.

The 4,096 km long India-Bangladesh boundary spans across five states — West Bengal (2,217 km), Tripura (856 km), Meghalaya (443 km), Assam (262 km) and Mizoram (318 km). The BSF is designated as the lead security and intelligence-gathering agency for this front.

The ties between the two countries came under strain after the neighbours summoned each other’s high commissioners in December last year.

While Bangladesh expressed to the Indian high commissioner its concern over the “activities” of the BSF vis-a-vis fence erection and border killings, India made it clear to the acting Bangladeshi high commissioner in Delhi that all laid down protocols were being followed while constructing the fence.

The government also informed Parliament in the Budget session that India has conveyed to Bangladesh that it expects a cooperative approach from the neighbouring country for combating cross-border crimes and this includes the border fencing work.

Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said in a written reply in Parliament that the unfenced part of this front was 864.482 km, which includes 174.51 km of “non-feasible” gap.

“Construction of fence is an important measure for securing the border. Fencing helps to ensure a crime-free border by effectively addressing the challenges of cross-border criminal activities, smuggling, movement of criminals and trafficking,” Rai said.

He added the challenges faced in completing the “feasible” stretches of fencing projects relate to land acquisition, BGB objections, limited working season and landslide/marshy land.

The BSF last month said its “strong objection” led to the stopping of “illegal” construction by Bangladeshi citizens and its frontier force along the International Border in West Bengal, a phenomenon it said was “increasing” in recent times.

According to sources who spoke to PTI, the Indian side is expected to put across instances of spiked infiltration attempts by Bangladeshi nationals across this front after August last year.

These instances are linked to human trafficking and cross-border smuggling, the sources said earlier.

Bangladesh’s interim government had recently said in Dhaka that it would seek to scrap some “uneven agreements” on borders with India during the meeting of the directors general of the border guards of the two countries to be held between February 17-20.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Trade resumes through land ports along the India- Bangladesh border. File
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

As trade resumes through land ports along the Bangladesh border, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is all set to inaugurate a passenger terminal building and a friendship gate at Petrapole in West Bengal on Sunday (October 26, 2024). In an indication that necessary administrative relations are moving on, around 10 officials from Bangladesh’s land port authority received training in Delhi last week.

The Petrapole-Benapole (Bangladesh) border is one of the busiest land ports along the Bangladesh border as nearly 70% of trade between the two countries takes place here. Data available with The Hindu shows that from October 20-25, as many as 2,635 trucks passed through the land port. The number of trucks from India stood at 1,776, while those from Bangladesh was 859.

Before the regime change in Bangladesh on August 5, the border saw the movement of approximately 600-700 trucks per day. From August 5 to August 8, in the immediate days after former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina escaped to India, the number of trucks that moved through Petrapole, Agartala, Dawki, Srimatpur, and Sutarkandi stood at 277, while the number had increased substantially to 1,028 from October 14 to October 20.

An official of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that the current numbers show that trade volume is back to its regular pace.

The total number of cargo movements at seven land ports — Petrapole, Agartala, dawki, Srimantpur, Sutarkandi, Golakganj, and Mankachar — during the same period stood at 6,169.

Petrapole is the largest land port in South Asia and it is a vital gateway for trade and commerce between India and Bangladesh. It is also the eighth largest international immigration port of India, and facilitates the movement of over 23.5 lakh passengers annually between India and Bangladesh.

The new Passenger Terminal Building to be inaugurated on Sunday will be able to handle 20,000 passengers per day.

“It is equipped with all modern facilities such as VIP lounges, Duty free shop, Basis medical facility, Infant/baby feeding Room, Food and beverages outlets etc….it will house immigration, customs, and security services under one roof,” a statement by the MHA said.

The MHA said that the building, with a built-up area of 59,800 square metres, will enhance the travel experience between India and Bangladesh, and will position itself as a pivotal hub in Asia.

The Maitri Dwar (friendship gate) is a joint cargo gate at the Zero Line agreed upon by both countries. The Land Ports Authority of India has established the new, common second cargo gate named Maitri Dwar in response to the daily cross-border traffic.

“This dedicated gate for cargo movement is aimed at easing and streamlining the flow of goods between the two nations. The introduction of Maitri Dwar is anticipated to significantly accelerate the release and clearance of goods at the border, thereby enhancing trade efficiency,” the MHA said.

The gate is equipped with boom barriers, facial recognition camaras, and access-controlled entry/exit points for Indian and Bangladeshi trucks. It will be a dedicated gate for cargo movement.

The Meghalaya Government handed over the body of Awami League leader Ishaque Ali Khan Panna to Bangladeshi authorities.
| Photo Credit: PTI

GUWAHATI

The Meghalaya Government handed over the body of Awami League leader Ishaque Ali Khan Panna to Bangladeshi authorities on Saturday (August 31, 2024).

Panna was found dead at an inclined betel nut plantation in the Dona Bhoi area of the State’s East Jaintia Hills district on August 26. The spot is about 1.5 km from the India-Bangladesh border.

Officials in Meghalaya said the Bangladesh government had deputed an official to collect the body from the district’s Khliehriat Civil Hospital. The body was handed over to the representative of Dhaka after identification and necessary paperwork.

The Awami League leader’s body was then taken to a friendship gate of the Border Security Force and the Border Guard Bangladesh at Dawki, from where it was taken to Bangladesh’s Pirojpur district via Tamabil across the border.

Police officials in Meghalaya said Panna was identified from a passport found on his body. The State Government did not share the post-mortem report but the local media cited unnamed police officials to claim he died due to asphyxia after being throttled.

Earlier, the Meghalaya Government informed New Delhi and Dhaka about the recovery of the body. Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, also the Home Minister, said on Friday (August 30, 2024) that the relatives of the deceased identified the body and they were on their way to Meghalaya.

“The exact cause of death will be known after the forensic test report is received and the case will be probed further,” he said.

Dhaka:

A retired judge of Bangladesh’s Supreme Court was detained from the northeastern frontier with India in Sylhet while he was allegedly attempting to flee the country, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) said late on Friday.

The report came hours after the arrest of Awami League leader ASM Firoz from his residence.

The BGB headquarters, in an SMS, informed reporters that they have detained former top appellate division judge of the Supreme Court Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik as he was trying to cross over to India through Sylhet’s Kanaighat border.

Newspaper Prothom Alo said Manik was kept at a BGB outpost till midnight citing the camp’s in-charge.

Bangladesh descended into chaos after ousted premier Sheikh Hasina’s government collapsed and she fled to India on August 5 amid violent protests over quota for government jobs, while the Army stepped in to fill the power vacuum.

Before that, anti-government protests had killed more than 500 people since mid-July. Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took oath as the Chief Adviser of the interim government on August 8.

Since August 5, a number of leaders of the deposed regime, including senior ministers, have been arrested — many of them on murder charges.

The Bangladesh Army has earlier said that several hundred leaders of Hasina’s Awami League and others have been sheltered in cantonments as their lives were at risk.

Former law minister Anisul Huq and the ex-premier’s private sector affairs adviser Salman F Rahman were the first to be arrested from Dhaka’s main river port Sadarghat terminal area as they were allegedly trying to leave Dhaka on a boat.

A number of members of Hasina’s cabinet, including former foreign minister Hassan Mahmud and former social welfare minister Dipu Moni, several lawmakers and leaders of Awami League and its allies, including pro-left Workers Party chairman Rashed Khan Menon, and a number of recently sacked military and civil officials have been arrested.

This included sacked major general Ziaul Hassan, who was serving as the head of the government’s telecommunications system, and Chittagong Port Authority chairman rear admiral Mohammad Sohail, who once was the spokesman of the elite anti-crime Rapid Action Battalion.

A TV journalist couple Farzana Rupa and her husband Shakil Ahmed have also been arrested.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Nadia:

An all-women unit of the Border Security Force (BSF) made a maiden gesture and handed over sweets and exchanged greetings with lady BGB personnel of Bangladesh at the front in West Bengal as part of the traditional Independence Day celebrations held along the international border.

The first-ever women border guards exchange took place near the Gede border post of the BSF in the said district even as a “high alert” continues all along this over 4,000 km front following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government less than a week back.

The six-member BSF team, dressed in ceremonial regalia, belonged to the 32nd battalion of the force deployed in the area to guard the international boundary in Nadia district. The personnel are of the constable rank, officials told PTI.

The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) women’s team that participated in the traditional ceremonial event held in the morning is affiliated to the 6th battalion of the Bangladeshi force deployed under the Darshana border post of the neighbouring country.

“The exchange of greetings and sharing of sweets symbolises mutual respect and camaraderie between the two border forces. It is a tradition which the women personnel have performed for the first time,” 32nd battalion BSF Commandant Sujeet Kumar said.

He said the two sides shook hands and wished for continued prosperity of their respective countries with a commitment to having strong bilateral ties between them.

A senior officer said the exchange of sweets and pleasantries between the two forces traditionally takes place during the national festivals of the two countries like Independence Day and Republic Day apart from big festivals like Deepawali and Eid.

This is, however, the first time an all-women team performed the gesture anywhere along this 4,096 km-long international boundary that runs across five states on India’s eastern flank including over 2,200 km in West Bengal.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Kolkata:

A Bangladeshi smuggler was killed in retaliatory firing by Border Security Force (BSF) jawans in West Bengal’s Malda district early on Monday.

The BSF personnel were forced to open fire in self-defence after being attacked by two groups of criminals. The smuggler, who was gunned down, was later identified as Abdullah, a resident of Rishipara village in Bangladesh’s Chapainawabganj district.

“In the dark, one of our jawans used his passive night vision binoculars (PNVB) and spotted 5-6 people moving towards Bangladesh from the Indian side with headloads. The jawan immediately rushed forward in an attempt to intercept them. However, before he could do so, 5-6 hiding miscreants attacked him with sharp-edged weapons.

“The jawan was forced to fire a round in self-defence. This did not deter the smugglers though and as they kept moving towards border. Hearing the shot, another jawan rushed forward and came under attack by the group. He too fired a round in self-defence. The smugglers then fled back further inside Indian territory.

“The company commander of the Chandnichawk Border Outpost rushed to the spot with reinforcements and located the injured man inside deep foliage. Sharp weapons were found lying around. He was moved to a hospital in Mahesail, Murshidabad, where he died during treatment,” said A K Arya, DIG and spokesperson, BSF, South Bengal Frontier.

Rishipara is 4.5 km inside Bangladesh from the International Border.

According to the BSF, Abdullah had crossed the security cordon of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) to enter India in an attempt to smuggle out bidi leaves. According to Arya, similar attacks on BSF jawans were carried out along the International Border in Murshidabad, Nadia and North 24-Parganas districts.

While praising the alert BSF jawans, Arya said: “Despite frequent flag meetings with the BGB to alert them about the ongoing attacks and infiltration by Bangladeshi criminals, no concrete action has been taken. This inaction has emboldened the smugglers and criminals. Nevertheless, our jawans remain steadfast in protecting our borders and ensuring the security of our nation under all circumstances.”

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Guwahati:

The Assam Police is on a high alert along the India-Bangladesh border to ensure that no person enters the state illegally in view of the unrest in the neighbouring country, a top officer said.

The Centre has issued a directive that no person be allowed to enter India from Bangladesh illegally, Director General of Police G P Singh said.

“The BSF is the first line of defence along the border and the Assam Police as the second line is also on a high alert,” Singh told reporters on the sidelines of a book launch here on Saturday.

”There is, however, a rider that Indian passport holders, mostly students and traders, will be allowed to enter if their documents are found valid after due verification,” the DGP said.

Another directive has been issued by the Centre that citizens of the neighbouring country will be escorted back to Bangladesh after due verification of their passports and visas through a safe corridor, he added.

”Besides these movements, there has been no entry of any person to the state… the Assam Police are conducting joint patrolling with the BSF,” he said.

Regarding measures taken for the ensuing Independence Day celebrations in Assam, the DGP said that adequate steps have been taken to ensure fool-proof security in the state.

“The SPs have been directed to beef up security in the parade grounds,” he said.

The top police officer recently visited several districts of Upper Assam to review security arrangements, following reports of the presence of a group of ULFA (I) militants along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border.

”We reviewed the prevailing situation with the police, army, CRPF and Assam Rifles and discussed necessary steps to be taken to neutralise the group,” he said.

He urged the outfit not to indulge in violence and create disturbances when increased investments had led to economic prosperity in the state.

”If the ULFA(I) has anything to say, both the central and state governments are ready to hold talks with them,” the DGP added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)