• India summoned Bangladesh’s acting High Commissioner Nural Islam and conveyed to him that it followed all laid down protocols in the construction of fencing along the border between the two neighbours.

• India’s action came a day after Bangladesh’s foreign ministry called Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma to express its “deep concern” over the “activities” of the Border Security Force (BSF).

• The fresh tension between the two sides came amid a downturn in the relations after deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled Bangladesh in August in the face of a massive anti-government protest.

• The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it was conveyed to Islam that India observed all protocols and agreements between the two governments on security measures at the border and expects that all earlier understandings will be implemented by Bangladesh along with a cooperative approach to combating cross-border crimes.

• Barbed wire fencing, border lighting, installation of technical devices and cattle fences are measures for securing the border.

• India reiterated its commitment to ensuring a crime-free border by effectively addressing the challenges of cross-border criminal activities, smuggling, movement of criminals and trafficking.

International Border Management

• India has 15,106.7 km of land border and a coastline of 7,516.6 km including island territories. 

The lengths of our land borders with neighboring countries are as under:

• India-Bangladesh Border - 4,096.7 km

• India-China Border - 3,488 km

• India-Pakistan Border - 3,323 km

• India-Nepal Border - 1,751 km

• India-Myanmar Border - 1,643 km

• India-Bhutan Border - 699 km

• India-Afghanistan Border - 106 km.

• Securing the country’s borders against interests hostile to the country and putting in place systems that are able to interdict such elements while facilitating legitimate trade and commerce are among the principal objectives of border management. 

• Proper management of borders, which is vital to national security, presents many challenges and it includes coordination and concerted action by the administrative, diplomatic, security, intelligence, legal, regulatory and economic agencies of the country, to secure the frontiers and to serve its best interests.

• The Department of Border Management was created in the Ministry of Home Affairs in January 2004 to devote focused attention to the issues relating to the management of the international land and coastal borders, strengthening of border policing and guarding, creation of infrastructure such as roads, fencing, floodlighting and Border Out Posts (BOPs)/Company Operating Bases (COBs) at the borders and implementation of the Border Area Development Programme (BADP).

• Deployment of forces along the borders is based on the principle of ‘One Border, One Border Guarding Force’ (OBOBGF).

Accordingly, domination of each border has been entrusted to a particular Border Guarding Force (BGF) as under:

• India-Bangladesh and India-Pakistan Borders - Border Security Force (BSF)

• India-China Border - Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)

• India-Nepal and India-Bhutan Borders - Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)

• India-Myanmar Border - Assam Rifles.

India-Bangladesh border

• The Indian side of the India-Bangladesh border touches West Bengal (2216.7 km), Assam (263 km), Meghalaya (443 km), Tripura (856 km) and Mizoram (318 km). 

• The entire stretch consists of plains, riverine belts, hills and jungles. The area is heavily populated and is cultivated right up to the border.

• Border Out Posts (BOPs) are the main workstation of the BSF along the borders. These are self-contained defence out-posts with a specified area of responsibility established along the entire continuum of land borders. 

• Flag meetings are regularly held with Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) to address the issue of forced infiltration and attacks by Bangladeshi criminals.

• In order to curb the infiltration, smuggling and other anti-national activities from across the India-Bangladesh border, the government has undertaken the construction of fencing along this border.

• The India-Bangladesh border is marked by difficult terrain such as hills, rivers and valleys, yet BSF is performing its duty round the clock to check illegal cross border activities and illegal migration from Bangladesh to India, which are the major challenges. 

• In order to prevent illegal migration and illegal activities including anti-national activities from across the border, the government of India had sanctioned the construction of border fencing with floodlights, in phases. 

• The total length of India-Bangladesh border is 4,096.7 km, out of which, 3,196.7 km has been covered by physical fencing. 

• The non-physical barrier will be in the form of technological solutions. Old design fences are being replaced with a new design fence. 

• There have been some problems in the construction of fencing in certain stretches on this border due to riverine/low lying areas, habitations close to the border, pending land acquisition cases and protests by the border population, which have slowed down the completion of the project.

• The government has also decided to undertake the work of installation of floodlights in West Bengal, Meghalaya, Assam, Mizoram and Tripura along the India-Bangladesh border. 

• Installation of floodlights have been completed on 2,729.236 km length, out of the total sanctioned length of 3,077.55 km.

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