BSF patrolling the India-Bangladesh border.
Photo: Times Now
Border Guards of Bangladesh (BGB) stopped the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) to build a fence for cattle near the India-Bangladesh border on Thursday night, adding to already strained relations between the two nations amid ongoing political turmoil in Bangladesh.
The situation remained peaceful, but construction was halted pending discussions at an upcoming meeting of the directors general of the two forces in Delhi in October.
“The fence was not a border fence but was meant to prevent cattle from crossing the border, which often leads to disputes between villagers on both sides,” a senior BSF official said. The official said the fence was built in accordance with a 2012 agreement between the two countries.
Despite a flag meeting held between BGB and BSF Battalion CommandersNo solution was reached, so patrols have been increased on both sides of the border.
The chiefs of the border guarding forces meet twice a year to discuss issues related to the 4,096.7-km-long India-Bangladesh border. Their last meeting took place on March 5 in Bangladesh. While the next meeting is scheduled for early October in Delhi, the BGB has not yet confirmed the date.
The incident marks the second escalation of border tensions in a week, as the border has been unstable following the collapse of Bangladesh’s Awami League government on August 5. The fall of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government sparked violent protests, and she subsequently fled Dhaka and resigned from office. A caretaker government, led by Nobel laureate and microfinance pioneer Muhammad Yunus, has since taken power.
With the political turmoil, the number of attempts by Awami League supporters to cross into India has increased, prompting the BSF to tighten its border controls.
In another incident, five Indian nationals who accidentally reached Bangladeshi waters while helping the BSF in a rescue operation in the Ganges were arrested by the BGB and have been jailed in Bangladesh. Despite several flag meetings, their release has not been secured.
While the BSF headquarters in Delhi has praised the BGB’s cooperation on issues of illegal infiltration and protection of minorities, reports from the eastern border suggest a change in the BGB’s stance since the fall of the Awami League government.
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