The Border Guard Bangladesh has pressed for joint inspection and joint record of discussion engaging representatives of both sides for the construction of any permanent structure or barbed wire fence in the 150 yards of No-Man鈥檚-Land along borders by the Indian Border Security Force.
Expressing concern over killing of Bangladeshis along Indian border in a聽 four-day director general-level conference of the two border forces in February 17鈥�20 in New Delhi, BGB director general Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui urged his counterpart Daljit Singh Chawdhary to bring the border killing to zero, said a BGB press release issued from Dhaka, referring to the BGB-BSF joint press statement, on Saturday.
The 55th DG-level border conference was held at a time when relations between the two neighbours remain strained over different factors one of which is the BSF鈥檚 constructing fencing structures at several points along the border.聽
Underlining the construction of the barbed wire fence on the zero line of the Angarpota-Dahgram border, the BGB chief called on the BSF director general to stop recurrence of such incidents on the border in the coming days, said the BGB press release quoting the joint statement.
A 13-member delegation from Bangladesh led by BGB director general Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman and 13-member delegation led by BSF director general Shri Daljit Singh Chawdhary participated in the conference.
The BGB also requested its counterpart not to construct any embankments on the transboundary rivers and release water from the upstream without informing Bangladesh that might cause floods in the downstream region.
The statement further said that both sides agreed to suppress cross-border crimes, especially preventing the smuggling of livestock and drugs, including phensedyl, yaba and marijuana, alongside preventing illegal infiltration, human trafficking, smuggling of gold, weapons and counterfeit currency as well as exchange immediate information about the individuals involved in these crimes.
The statement also said that the two forces aspired to increase mutual trust through the implementation of various initiatives under the Coordinated Border Management Plan.聽
In mid-January, the interim government urged India to refrain from any provocative actions amid growing tensions along the border over the BSF constructing barbed wire fences, violating the international law at five points in the bordering districts of Chapainawabganj, Lalmonirhat and Naogaon, prompting both the sides to deploy additional forces on the respective sides.
On January 12, the Bangladesh foreign ministry summoned Indian high commissioner Pranay Verma to its office in Dhaka city to express its concern over India鈥檚 construction of barbed wire fences along the border and to protest at the recent killing of a Bangladesh national by the BSF in the border area.
On January 18, Indian villagers clashed with Bangladeshis over harvesting crops on the no-man鈥檚-land along the Chowka border in Chapainawabganj, leaving three people injured.
Video footage of the clash showed the firing of teargas shells and sound grenades at the spot.
Following the incident, home affairs adviser retired lieutenant general Jahangir Alam Chowdhury on January 20 declared that they had allowed the Border Guard Bangladesh to procure non-lethal weapons like sound grenades and teargas shells.
India has already constructed barbed wire fences along 3,271 kilometres of the 4,156km border between the two neighbours, according to the Bangladesh authorities.
Border killings go unabated as at least 30 Bangladesh nationals were killed in BSF firing in 2024, according to rights organisation Ain O Salish Kendra.
The ASK data also showed that 31 Bangladeshis were killed in BSF firing in 2023.
From January 2009 to November 2024, the BSF reportedly killed 588 Bangladesh nationals and injured 773 other Bangladeshis, according to rights body Odhikar.
