BSF taking strong action against illegal construction by Bangladeshis along border: Officials

New Delhi: The Border Security Force (BSF) has directed its field commanders deployed along the 4,096 km long India-Bangladesh International Border to take "strong action" in case of illegal construction being undertaken along the front by the nationals or the border force of the neighbouring country, official sources said Wednesday.

Around 80 such incidents were reported across this border in 2024, sources in the border management establishment told PTI.

The North Bengal frontier of the force, that guards about 932 km of this front, headquartered in Siliguri, West Bengal had said in a statement on January 31 that this phenomenon was "increasing" under its jurisdiction in recent times.

The frontier issued a fresh statement on Wednesday, saying a group of "heavily armed" Bangladeshi miscreants "illegally" entered the border village of Malikpur in Dakshin Dinajpur district during the night of February 4-5 and "attacked" a BSF party leading to injuries to a jawan and a Bangladeshi man who has been admitted to a hospital.

"The miscreants illegally entered India for smuggling and dacoity. They were heavily armed with Dahs, sticks and also had a wire cutter. When the BSF party challenged them, instead of stopping, miscreants aggressively attacked the troops," it said.

The spokesperson for the BSF North Bengal Frontier said the patrol unit fired "non-lethal" bullets to "deter" the Bangladeshis but they continued their "aggression and encircled the BSF party." The miscreants tried to "snatch" the weapon of a BSF jawan and he fired in self-defence following which the attackers ran away to their side of the border, the spokesperson said.

Officials said all the BSF commanders of the border units have been asked to keep a "strict vigil" and initiate "strong action to stop" illegal construction work anywhere along 150 yards of the IB.

The force has asked its senior officers stationed in the rear of the border battalions to regularly visit the forward areas and camp wherever it was necessary, the officials said.

The North Bengal Frontier had earlier said that although Bangladeshi nationals and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were "constantly trying to carry out construction work in the border area through illegal means, BSF's vigilant eyes were always keeping a watch on their illegal activities and taking strict action." "In recent times, there has been an increase in illegal construction work by Bangladeshi citizens on the International Border adjoining Mekhliganj in Coochbehar within 150 yards of the IB in Bangladesh areas," it had said, adding it was stopped only after "strong objection and opposition" by the BSF troops.

The force has been maintaining an "alert" stance all along this border since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in August 2024. Senior officers of the force, however, reiterate that their relations with the BGB on the ground are good and such instances have been taking place in the past too but this time these are being "propped up".

The India-Bangladesh boundary spans across five states of West Bengal (2,217 km), Tripura (856 km), Meghalaya (443 km), Assam (262 km), and Mizoram (318 km), and 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 their national capitals last month.

While Bangladesh expressed its concern over the "activities" of the BSF vis-a-vis fence erection and border killings during their meeting with the Indian High Commissioner, 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 informed Parliament on Tuesday 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 too.

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

"Construction of fencing is an important security 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.

Early this week, Bangladesh's interim government 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 (BSF and BGB) of the two countries to be held between February 17 and 20.