[🇧🇩-Land] Atrocities of BSF/How BGB responds

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Govt summons Indian envoy to protest border fencing

The foreign ministry has summoned Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma to lodge protest against the "illegal" construction of fences at the borders. Following the call extended by Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin, the Indian envoy arrived at the ministry on Sunday afternoon reports bdnews24.com.

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Govt summons Indian envoy to protest border fencing
Published :
Jan 12, 2025 22:13
Updated :
Jan 12, 2025 22:13

The foreign ministry has summoned Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma to lodge protest against the "illegal" construction of fences at the borders.

Following the call extended by Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin, the Indian envoy arrived at the ministry on Sunday afternoon reports bdnews24.com.

After meeting with the foreign secretary, Verma said: "We have an understanding to ensure a crime-free border; to build a border fence for security to effectively deal with the challenges of smuggling, movement of criminals, and trafficking."

"Our two border guarding forces – BSF and BGB – are in touch in this regard."

He said, “We expect that the decisions made by the two sides will be implemented and there will be a cooperative approach to combating crime."

Earlier, Home Advisor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said the Border Guard Bangladesh and the people have thwarted Indian efforts to erect barbed-wire fences at five locations at the borders.

India was looking to set up barbed-wire fences inside the 150-yard no man’s land at Lalmonirhat’s Tin Bigha Corridor, Naogaon’s Patnitala, and three other places, he said.

“The BSF [Border Security Force] and the BGB held a discussion over it. India stopped work after the BGB took a firm stand.”​

 

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BORDER TENSION: Bangladesh envoy in Delhi summoned

The Indian external affairs ministry on Monday summoned Bangladesh deputy high commissioner to India Nural Islam a day after Dhaka summoned Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh...

www.newagebd.net

BORDER TENSION: Bangladesh envoy in Delhi summoned
Staff Correspondent 13 January, 2025, 17:47

The Indian external affairs ministry on Monday summoned Bangladesh deputy high commissioner to India Nural Islam a day after Dhaka summoned Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma amid escalating tension between the two countries over fencing the border by the Indian Border Security Force.

The deputy high commissioner was summoned to the South Block that houses the external affairs ministry in New Delhi following media reports that India was attempting to construct barbed wire fences at five locations along the 4,156-kilometre India-Bangladesh border in violation of international law and a bilateral deal as well, diplomatic sources confirmed.

The foreign ministry was aware of the Indian move, but would not give any statement for now over the matter, an official concerned said.

Meanwhile, the Indian BSF on Monday fired four blanks in Shibtala area along the Ghojadanga border of India, opposite Bhomra border of Bangladesh in Satkhira, triggering panic among the villagers along the border in Bangladesh and prompting the Border Guard Bangladesh personnel to assuage their fear, New Age correspondent in Satkhira reported.

Lutfor Rahman, a local resident, said that they heard several gunshots from the Shibtala side during the Fajr prayers. ‘We became panicked,’ said Lutfor.

BGB 33 Battalion assistant director Masud Rana said that the BSF had fired four sound gun bullets.

‘It’s India’s internal issue. There is nothing to panic for the Bangladeshi people living along the border,’ said Masud.

The ouster of Sheikh Hasina regime amid a student-led mass uprising on August 5 and her subsequent refuge in India has strained diplomatic ties between the two neighbours.

Diplomatic ties between India and Bangladesh have been stable historically. But, former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s ouster after her government was toppled in a student-led revolution and her subsequent refuge in India have strained the relation between the two nations, Indian media reports said.

Last month, the interim Bangladesh government led by Muhammad Yunus requested India to send back Sheikh Hasina, who fled there for shelter amid a student-led mass uprising on August 5, to face trial.

Dhaka has already issued an arrest warrant for Hasina, who was supposed to appear in court in November 2024, to face charges of ‘massacres, killings and crimes against humanity’.

On Sunday, the Bangladesh government urged India to refrain from any provocative actions amid tension along the border over the construction of border fencing at several points in violation of international law with additional deployment of forces on both sides.

The foreign ministry summoned the high commissioner of India to Bangladesh on the day to express its concern over the construction of barbed wire fence and protest at the recent killing of a Bangladesh national by the Indian Border Security Force in the border area.

Bangladesh foreign secretary Md Jashim Uddin conveyed to the Indian envoy that such activities, particularly the attempt to construct unauthorised barbed wire fence and the related operational actions by the BSF, had caused tension and disturbances in the border, said a foreign ministry release issued later on the day.

‘The foreign secretary called upon the government of India to advise all authorities concerned in India to refrain from any provocative actions that could escalate tensions along the shared border,’ said the release.

On Sunday, home affairs adviser retired lieutenant general Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said that the Border Guard Bangladesh was on the alert along borders and their strong position accompanied by local people forced India to stop the construction of barbed wire fences at five points in Chapainawabganj, Naogaon and Lalmonirhat.

Referring to the 1975 Joint India-Bangladesh Guidelines for border authorities, the home affairs adviser said that there was a specific ban on defence-related activities within 150 yards from the zero line of the border.

If any country wants to construct any structure in the 150 yards of the no-man’s- land, it has to take permission from the other country, he said.

India had already constructed barbed wire fences along 3,271km of the 4,156km border, according to the home adviser.

‘We have an understanding with regard to fencing the border for security. Our two border forces––the BSF and the BGB––have been in communication in this regard,’ Pranay Verma told reporters after the meeting in Dhaka on Sunday.

The Indian high commissioner said that he met the foreign secretary to discuss India’s commitment to ensure a crime-free border and effectively address the challenges of smuggling and trafficking.

On Saturday, the BSF obstructed farmers Nazrul Islam and Nazmul Hossain from cultivating their land near the Lakshidari border in Bhomra of Satkhira.

BGB officials said that following the incident the two border forces met in a battalion-level flag meeting in which a decision was taken to measure the territory of the two countries in that area. Until then the two farmers would not be able to cultivate the land, they added.​

 

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No more concessions for India on border killing or fencing

Protecting our citizens and our border integrity is non-negotiable

www.thedailystar.net

No more concessions for India on border killing or fencing

Visual: Salman Sakib Shahryar

There couldn't be a more harrowing indictment of India's ruthless border policy than the recent killings of two Bangladeshis around the 14th anniversary of the murder of teenage Felani Khatun. The first of these killings involved Zahur Ali, 55, who was allegedly beaten to death by members of the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) and local Indian citizens at the Boro Keora border area of Chunarughat, Habiganj. According to a report by Prothom Alo, Zahur, a security guard from Dhaka with a history of mental instability, had recently returned home on a five-day leave. On January 6, he went out apparently to sell some merchandise at the village market and was not heard from again. The next day, his body was discovered inside Indian territory.

The second incident involved Saidul Islam, 23, who was allegedly killed by BSF on January 8 near the Mashimpur border in Bishwambharpur, Sunamganj. According to a report by Dhaka Tribune, Saidul was apparently smuggling betel nuts into India when he was shot, sustaining wounds to his chest and abdomen. He later died at the Sunamganj Sadar Hospital. And just three days after that, another victim, Md Shahidul Islam, 22, was critically injured near the border in Shibganj, Chapainawabganj. Prothom Alo reports that Shahidul was apparently returning from India with smuggled Phensedyl when BSF shot him. He is now under treatment at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital.

If this was India's way of commemorating the incident from 14 years ago that gave rise to that iconic image of the upside-down body of a 14-year-old girl hanging from a barbed-wire fence for hours—before she was shot and left to die a slow, painful death—it indeed made its point. However, the recent string of tragic shootings has nothing to do with Felani, who was just another entrant in the absurdly long list of BSF victims. But that haunting image today stands as a symbol of BSF's trigger-happy exploits that continue unchecked. The ordeal that Felani's family had to go through, both before and after the January 7, 2011 shooting, represents everything wrong with India's border policy. It starts with allowing lethal force to prevent unlawful movements regardless of their causes or its own "zero-death" pledge—with 25 shot dead in 2024, according to Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), adding to the 594 BSF killings recorded between 2009 and 2023. And then, it continues to extend undue protections to those guilty of these killings.

While India has halted its border incursions thanks to strong resistance from Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel and local villagers, its increasingly adversarial approach since the ouster of New Delhi's once-favoured leader Sheikh Hasina stands in stark contrast to its rhetoric of friendly relations. The question is, who surrounds their neighbours with barbed wire, frequently violates bilateral agreements on border management, resorts to excessive force at the slightest hint of an unauthorised presence or activity, and continuously refuses to engage in accountability measures?

Just consider how the BSF member who killed Felani has been treated. According to a recent report by The Daily Star, he remains unpunished to this day. Initial investigations by a BSF special court acquitted him of any wrongdoing, and a second trial again upheld the verdict, despite widespread criticism and overwhelming evidence of his reckless actions. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court of India, which was supposed to hear final arguments in this case on January 8, reportedly postponed the hearing without explanation. Furthermore, despite India's National Human Rights Commission directing the Indian home ministry in 2013 to provide Rs 5 lakh as compensation to Felani's family, that payment has yet to be made, according to an Indian rights activist monitoring the case.

India's default response to concerns over such killings is to allude to cross-border crimes—such as smuggling, trafficking, and movements of criminals—as if the ends justify the means. After his meeting with Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin on Sunday, where Dhaka objected to the recent "unauthorised" fence construction attempts and ongoing border killings, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma stuck to the same guns. The BSF also routinely uses the excuse of firing in "self-defence" under "compulsion." In July 2022, its then director-general even went as far as to call Bangladeshi nationals killed at the border "criminals." Rights activists have consistently laid bare the hollowness of such arguments about the means or excuses used to stop so-called border crimes, yet Indian authorities refuse to mend their ways or ensure accountability for what is clearly a violation of both internationally accepted border control protocols and bilateral instruments.

This authoritarian tendency was further evident in BSF's recent attempts to construct barbed-wire fences along five border areas, including Chapainawabganj, Naogaon, Lalmonirhat, and the Tin Bigha Corridor. India has already fenced 3,271 km of its 4,156-km border with Bangladesh, leaving approximately 885 km unfenced. While it has temporarily halted its border incursions thanks to strong resistance from Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel and local villagers, its increasingly adversarial approach since the ouster of New Delhi's once-favoured leader Sheikh Hasina stands in stark contrast to its rhetoric of friendly relations. The question is, who surrounds their neighbours with barbed wire, frequently violates bilateral agreements on border management, resorts to excessive force at the slightest hint of an unauthorised presence or activity, and continuously refuses to engage in accountability measures?

Interestingly, Pranay Verma, while talking to journalists after the Sunday meeting, said: "We have an understanding with regard to fencing the border for security… We expect that the understanding will be implemented." He was likely referring to what Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retired) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury termed as "unequal agreements" or MoUs on barbed-wire fencing signed during Awami League's tenure, leading to the present disputes. Revisiting all such controversial MoUs has become essential in post-uprising Bangladesh, even though India still seems to be tethered to a time when it could get Bangladesh to concede to any unfair demand using its political leverage. But that belongs to the past now. India can no longer expect undue concessions or unequal opportunities when it comes to border management. It must acknowledge that true friendship between two neighbours demands respect, accountability, and adherence to established protocols and agreements, not coercion or exploitation.

India has too many unresolved issues with Bangladesh—including Sheikh Hasina's extradition—to let these manageable crises fester unnecessarily. But if it continues its uncooperative stance, Bangladesh should consider taking the issue to the international court and actively raising it on global platforms. Protecting our citizens and our border integrity is non-negotiable.

There have been four border-related treaties signed since Bangladesh's independence, as the home adviser has said. Of them, the 1975 one specifies that no defence development activities can take place within 150 yards of the zero line, with another MoU adding that any such work will "require prior agreement between the two nations." There have also been repeated commitments from the Indian authorities to pursue a non-lethal strategy in combating border crimes. India must honour these agreements and commitments. Also, the extrajudicial killings of so many Bangladeshis by BSF cannot go unanswered. India has too many unresolved issues with Bangladesh—including Sheikh Hasina's extradition—to let these manageable crises fester unnecessarily. But if it continues its uncooperative stance, Bangladesh should consider taking the issue to the international court and actively raising it on global platforms. Protecting our citizens and our border integrity is non-negotiable.

Badiuzzaman Bay is assistant editor at The Daily Star.​

 

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Changes in basic state principles recommended

Full reports on reforms by Jan 31 Talks with parties by mid-Feb Govt circular today extending six commissions' tenure by one month A nomenclature update as 'Janoganotantric Bangladesh' through constitutional overhaul has been proposed among other recommendations like changes to t

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

BSF hands over detained Bangladeshi to BGB
FE ONLINE DESK
Published :
Jan 15, 2025 23:49
Updated :
Jan 15, 2025 23:49

Indian Border Security Force (BSF) handed over a Bangladeshi national to Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) on Wednesday, a day after he was detained from Beurjhari border area in Thakurgaon's Baliadangi upazila.

Sheikh Alimur Rahman, 42, of Khulna was handed over to the BGB through a flag meeting around 6:30 pm, said Lt Col Tanvir Ahmed, commanding officer of BGB Battalion-50, reports UNB.

Earlier, a flag meeting was held between BGB and BSF members regarding the issue, from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm.

On Tuesday night, BSF members detained Alimul Rahman about 300 yards inside Indian territory near pillar No. 380/4-S.​

 

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India says barbed wire fence with Bangladesh for combating crimes: report

India on Friday said that the construction of barbed wire fences, cattle fences, border lighting and the installation of technical devices were measures that were aimed at securing the border and combating criminal activities.

www.newagebd.net

India says barbed wire fence with Bangladesh for combating crimes: report
Staff Correspondent 18 January, 2025, 00:59

India on Friday said that the construction of barbed wire fences, cattle fences, border lighting and the installation of technical devices were measures that were aimed at securing the border and combating criminal activities.

‘All earlier understandings in this regard will be implemented by Bangladesh in a cooperative approach towards combating such crimes,’ the Times of India reported, quoting a Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal as saying at a press conference in New Delhi on the day.

‘We have made our position very clear. We had summoned the acting deputy high commissioner and made our position on border fencing very clear,’ Jaiswal said.

The statement came after the India’s external affairs ministry summoned Bangladesh’s acting high commissioner to India, Nurul Islam, to the South Block earlier in the week to discuss ongoing border security issues, the Indian media said.

Jaiswal said that India remained committed to ensuring a crime-free border with Bangladesh by effectively addressing cross-border criminal activities, smuggling and trafficking, according to the media report.

On January 12, the Bangladesh foreign ministry summoned the high commissioner of India to Bangladesh, Pranay Verma, to express its concern over the construction of barbed wire fence and protest at the recent killing of a Bangladeshi national by the Indian Border Security Force on the border.

Foreign secretary Md Jashim Uddin conveyed the message to the Indian envoy that activities, particularly the attempt to construct unauthorised barbed wire fence and the related operational actions by the BSF, had caused tensions and disturbances on the border.

‘The foreign secretary called upon the government of India to advise all authorities concerned in India to refrain from any provocative actions that could escalate tensions along the shared border,’ said the foreign ministry release issued on January 12.

India had already constructed barbed wire fences in areas of 3,271 kilometres of the 4,156km border, according to the Bangladesh home affairs adviser retired lieutenant general Jahangir Alam Chowdhury.

Jahangir also said that the Border Guard Bangladesh was on the alert along the border and their strong position accompanied by the local people had forced India to stop the construction of barbed wire fences at five points along the border in Chapainawabganj, Naogaon and Lalmonirhat.​

 

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BSF hangs glass bottles on Dahagram border fence, locals concerned

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) officials, however, have urged residents to remain calm.

www.thedailystar.net

BSF hangs glass bottles on Dahagram border fence, locals concerned

Though the construction of a barbed wire fence along the zero line of the Dahagram border by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) has stopped following protests, the recent hanging of glass bottles on the fence by the BSF fueled concerns among the residents of Dahagram union in Lalmonirhat's Patgram upazila.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) officials, however, have urged residents to remain calm.

Farmers working on the agricultural lands near the zero line are especially feeling uneasy now, fearing the potential resumption of construction and the implications of the hanging glass bottles, the purpose of which remains unclear.

Amir Khasru, assistant director of Rangpur 51 BGB Battalion, said, "The BSF has halted construction of the barbed wire fence. We have requested its removal and an explanation for the glass bottles but have yet to receive a response."

"To prevent panic, we have increased patrols and are boosting morale among residents," he added.

Dahagram, spanning 22.68 square kilometers, is surrounded on three sides by India's Cooch Behar district and bordered by the Teesta River on the fourth. Its around 22,000 residents access the rest of the country through the 200-meter Tinbigha Corridor. Agriculture is their primary livelihood, and any disruption at the border directly impacts their lives.

The tension began on January 10, when the BSF started constructing a one-kilometer-long barbed wire fence along the zero line Munshipara, violating international border law. Protests by locals and BGB intervention halted the work on January 11, but the BSF had already completed 250 meters of fencing, BGB and locals told The Daily Star.

Since then, locals have demanded the removal of the fence, but instead, glass bottles were hung on it on January 15, adding to their fears.

"The hanging bottles and increased BSF patrols have left us worried," Mahir Uddin, 65, a local farmer told The Daily Star.

"The BSF could resume the construction anytime, and we live in fear, especially at night," he added.

Shariful Islam, 55, a businessman, told The Daily Star, "The Tinbigha Corridor is our lifeline. With the increased BSF patrols and these glass bottles on the fence, we feel like our freedom is being encroached upon."

BGB official Amir Khasru added that both countries are bound by agreements to avoid constructing structures within 150 yards of the zero line until decisions are finalised at a high-level BGB-BSF meeting.​

 

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Tension erupts along border again

Indian villagers clashed with Bangladeshis over harvesting crops on the no man’s land along the Chowka border in Chapainawabganj Saturday morning leaving three people injured, causing fresh tension along the border.

www.newagebd.net

Tension erupts along border again
Staff Correspondent . Rajshahi 18 January, 2025, 23:44

Border Guard Bangladesh members and villagers stand guard as Indian villagers backed by the Border Security Force illegally enter Bangladesh territory and cut down mango and plum trees after a clash over harvesting crops in the no-man’s-land along the Chowka border under Shibganj upazila in Chapainawabganj on Saturday. | New Age photo

Indians fell mango trees in Bangladesh, BSF fire sound grenades, teargas shells

Indian villagers clashed with Bangladeshis over harvesting crops on the no man’s land along the Chowka border in Chapainawabganj Saturday morning leaving three people injured, causing fresh tension along the border.

Hundreds of villagers from both India and Bangladesh were seen taking positions on their respective sides till filing of this report at 7:00pm.

According to the Bangladeshi villagers, crops, including wheat, maize, mango and plum, have been cultivated on both sides of the boundary line marked by a border pillar.

Binodpur Union Parishad chairman Ruhul Amin told New Age that someone harvested wheat from a piece of Indian villager’s land Friday night.

Following the incident, Indian villagers along with the Indian Border Security Force locked into an altercation with Bangladeshi villagers who went to work on their field Saturday morning.

‘As BSF members, at one stage of the altercation, attempted to pick up Bangladeshi villagers forcibly, other nearby Bangladeshi villagers protesting against the move, triggering a scuffle’, he said.

Ruhul Amin said that following the scuffle, Indian villagers, in association with BSF personnel, illegally entered the Bangladeshi territory, felled about 200 mango and plum trees, sparking immediate protests from Bangladeshi villagers.

Later, the villagers of the two countries locked into a chase and counter chase, brandishing sharp weapons and throwing sticks and stones to each other,

he added.

Several video footage of the chase and counter-chase showed the explosion of teargas shells and hand grenades on the border.

Local UP member Kamal Uddin told New Age that Indian villagers with the help of BSF personnel felled about 35 mango trees at his two orchards during the incident.

He said that the BSF members exploded over two dozen teargas shells and hand grenades.

‘I have so far information about three Bangladeshi villagers being injured by Indian villagers’, he added.

Mesbaul Haque, one of the injured Bangladeshi villagers, said that after one of the Indian villagers had cut two fingers of a BGB personnel with a sharp weapon on the border, Bangladeshi villegaers rushed to his deffence.

‘After seeing us running to them, the Indian villagers threw various sharp weapons at us. One of the weapon hit me in the leg,’ he said,

Mesbaul said that two more fellow villagers named Roni and Faruk were also injured.

Border Guard Bangladesh 59th battalion (Rohanpur) commander Lieutenant Colonel Golam Kibria could not be reached for his comment despite repeated attempts over the phone.

Confirming about the tension at the border, Rajshahi BGB sector commander Colonel Md Imran Ibne A Rouf said that he reached the Chowka border and would inform the media later in detail.

Earlier on January 8, tension erupted along Chowka border at Shibganj in Chapainawabganj after the BSF began constructing fences along the border despite repeated objections from the border guards.

According to international law, no permanent structures or fences, except for agricultural activities, can be placed within 150 yards of the border pillars of either country.

Tensions along Bangladesh India border have been continuing since the final week of December 2024 as Border Guard Bangladesh and local people protested against India to stop constructing barbed wire fences at five points along the border in Chapainawabganj, Naogaon and Lalmonirhat.

On January 12, the foreign ministry summoned the Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh, Pranay Verma, and expressed concern over the construction of barbed wire fences and protested at the recent killing of a Bangladeshi national by the Indian BSF on the border.

India has already constructed barbed wire fences in areas of 3,271 kilometres of the 4,156km border, Bangladesh home affairs adviser retired lieutenant general Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said recently.​

 

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চাঁপাইনবাবগঞ্জ সীমান্তে ফের উত্তেজনা ভারতীয়দের হামলায় অন্তত ৩ বাংলাদেশি আহত​

 

[Saif]

Dhaka, Delhi need to effectively engage in easing border tension

THE clash between Bangladeshi and Indian villagers in the Shibganj border in Chapainawabganj over harvesting crops on no man’s land adds to the ongoing border tension resulted from India’s Border Security Force trying to erect fences on the zero line in violation of laws and agreements. Hundreds...

www.newagebd.net

Dhaka, Delhi need to effectively engage in easing border tension
20 January, 2025, 00:00

THE clash between Bangladeshi and Indian villagers in the Shibganj border in Chapainawabganj over harvesting crops on no man’s land adds to the ongoing border tension resulted from India’s Border Security Force trying to erect fences on the zero line in violation of laws and agreements. Hundreds of villagers from both Bangladesh and India clashed in the morning of January 18 along the Chowka border that left at least three Bangladeshis injured. According to witnesses, Indian villagers, along with Indian border guards, entered the Bangladeshi territory and tried to pick up a few Bangladeshis, accusing them of harvesting wheat on a piece of land owned by an Indian at night on January 17. Nearby Bangladeshi villagers protested at the attempt, resulting in a scuffle. After the scuffle, as witnesses say, Indian villagers, along with BSF guards, again entered the Bangladeshi territory and felled about 200 mango and plum trees on fields inside Bangladesh, sparking immediate protests from Bangladeshis. Villagers of both the countries chased each other, brandishing sharp weapons and throwing sticks and stones at each other. The Indian guards reportedly fired teargas shells and explosion of crude bombs were heard.

Tension on the border earlier erupted on January 8 after the BSF began constructing fences in violation of laws and agreements that stipulate that no permanent structures or fences, except for agricultural activities, can be placed within 150 yards of the border pillars of either country without mutual consent. Tension has, in fact, been mounting since the final week of December 2024 over fence construction. The Indian force tried to construct barbed-wire or iron electric fences along the border in Lalmonirhat, Chapainawabganj and Naogaon. While the Indian guards stopped the construction of fences in the face of protests by and flag meetings with the Bangladesh guards at some places, they have ignored calls for flag meetings at other places. Bangladesh guards earlier halted the BSF attempts at erecting fences on no man’s land at Dhamoirhat in Naogaon while a tense situation continues at Patgram in Lalmonirhat as the Indian force has constructed a four feet high barbed-wire fence on a stretch of about a kilometre and a half on the zero line. Such a situation poses a threat to the improvement in bilateral relations, which suffered a significant blow from India’s unabashed support for the authoritarian regime of the Awami League and sheltering Awami League president and former Bangladesh prime minister, ousted by a student-mass uprising on August 5.

When both Dhaka and Delhi have expressed and are reportedly working on the improvement in bilateral relations, tension along the border over India’s border fencing and high-handedness contribute to an anti-India sentiment in Bangladesh. Indian authorities should, therefore, take note of it and follow border protocols, international laws and bilateral agreements. Dhaka should adequately voice its concern and engage Delhi in easing border tension.​

 

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Bangladesh calls for constructive talks to ease border tensions with India

Bangladesh believes that the peace in the border Bangladesh-India border lies in the constructive discussion, in line with the bilateral agreements between the two countries

www.thedailystar.net

Bangladesh calls for constructive talks to ease border tensions with India

Bangladesh believes that the peace in the border Bangladesh-India border lies in the constructive discussion, in line with the bilateral agreements between the two countries.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said this in a statement to the media today following border tension.

"We have sought detailed reports from the relevant ministries and organisations regarding the situation on the Bangladesh-India border in Chapainawabganj," it said.

Tension escalated at the Chapainawabganj border on Saturday after an altercation between Indian and Bangladeshi citizens over the cutting of tree branches within Bangladeshi territory.

Earlier this month, India's Border Security Force (BSF) had begun erecting barbed-wire fencing within 150 yards of the international border at certain points. The construction was halted after Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) intervened.

Subsequently, Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma to address the matter. In response, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs also summoned Bangladesh's Acting High Commissioner in New Delhi, Nurla Islam, to express their concerns.​

 

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BGB allowed to use sound grenades, tear gas shells on border: adviser

Home affairs adviser retired lieutenant general Jahangir Alam Chowdhury on Monday said that they had allowed the Border Guard Bangladesh to procure non-lethal weapons like sound grenades and tear gas shells to use in the border areas.

www.newagebd.net

BGB allowed to use sound grenades, tear gas shells on border: adviser
Staff Correspondent 21 January, 2025, 00:39

File photo

Home affairs adviser retired lieutenant general Jahangir Alam Chowdhury on Monday said that they had allowed the Border Guard Bangladesh to procure non-lethal weapons like sound grenades and tear gas shells to use in the border areas.

‘Sound grenades and tear gas shells are being procured for the BGB,’ said home adviser while briefing reporters after holding the 6th law and order meeting of advisers at the secretariat in the capital Dhaka.

Asked why the BGB did not use any force when the Indian Border Security Force used sound grenades and tear gas shells on Chowka border in Chapainawabganj on January 18, Jahangir said that BGB did not have such non-lethal weapons.

‘How would they use such things if they don’t have them? Now, we have permitted the BGB to procure those and those would be procured,’ the adviser said.

Jahangir, however, did not disclose the amount of sound grenades and tear gas shells to be procured.

He said that tender would be invited and then non-lethal weapons would be procured.

He said that the overall border situation was now stable.

Indian villagers clashed with Bangladeshis over harvesting crops on the no man’s land along the Chowka border in Chapainawabganj in the morning of January 18, leaving three people injured, causing fresh tension along the border.

Video footage of the chase and counter-chase showed the explosion of teargas shells and hand grenades on the border.

Tensions along the Bangladesh-India border have continued since the final week of December 2024 as the Border Guard Bangladesh and local people protested against the BSF’s constructing barbed wire fences at five points along the border in Chapainawabganj, Naogaon and Lalmonirhat.

According to international law, no permanent structures or fences, except for agricultural activities, can be placed within 150 yards of the border pillars of either country.

On January 12, the foreign ministry summoned the Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh, Pranay Verma, and expressed concern over the construction of barbed wire fences and protested at the recent killing of a Bangladeshi national by the Indian BSF on the border.

India has already constructed barbed wire fences in areas of 3,271 kilometres of the 4,156km border, Jahangir said recently.​

 

[Saif]

BGB thwarts BSF’s attempt to install fence along Joypurhat border

The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has thwarted yet another attempt allegedly by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) to install barbed-wire fence along the Uchna border in Panchbibi upazila of Joypurhat district. Lieutenant Colonel Nahid Newaz, the Commander of Joypurhat-20 BGB battalion...

en.prothomalo.com

BGB thwarts BSF’s attempt to install fence along Joypurhat border
UNB
Joypurhat
Published: 21 Jan 2025, 19: 54

BGB thwarts BSF’s another reported bid to install fence along Joypurhat border UNB

The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has thwarted yet another attempt allegedly by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) to install barbed-wire fence along the Uchna border in Panchbibi upazila of Joypurhat district.

Lieutenant Colonel Nahid Newaz, the Commander of Joypurhat-20 BGB battalion, said when BSF troops attempted to build a barbed wire fence on Tuesday morning, BGB members intervened, forcing them to abandon the fence construction and leave.

“The situation there is now quiet and calm, and normal,” he said.
Locals said BSF members from the Indian Chakgopal camp tried to construct a fence within 30 yards of the zero point, violating international law around 8am.

At one point, BGB personnel from Hatkhola border post under Joypurhat-20 BGB intervened, forcing the BSF to retreat with their materials and stop the construction, the BGB commander said.

A letter was sent to BSF for holding a company commander-level flag meeting between the two sides, said the BGB official.

On 7 January, the BSF unlawfully began constructing a barbed-wire fence along the zero line, prompting the BGB to intervene, heightening tensions along the border.

Besides, tensions flared up along the Kaliganj border in Shibganj upazila, Chapainawabganj, as Indian nationals allegedly hurled crude bombs at Bangladeshis in the presence of BSF 18 January.

Amid the escalating tensions, a flag meeting at the battalion commander-level between the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and BSF was held in the afternoon over the incident.

BGB had lodged a protest with the BSF, and the matter had been reported to the higher authorities of the BGB.​