Top Level Meeting in Delhi: BGB to raise fencing issue

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) will raise the issue of India's decision made in July to shift the fence along the border to the zero line in the upcoming meeting of border security forces of the two neighbouring countries.

The meeting to be held from September 30 to October 5 in New Delhi is scheduled to discuss development works within 150 yards of the International Border and violation in the construction design of Single Row Fencing, according to the agenda.

If the Indian authority wants to erect fences within 150 yard of the border, it has to seek permission from Bangladesh, said a top official of the home ministry. 

 When Bangladesh gave permission to India, it put up a condition that only single row fencing would be allowed, he said, “But sometimes India violates the condition and we will raise the issue at the meeting," he told The Daily Star wishing anonymity.

Indian's decision to shift fences towards Bangladesh will also be discussed at the director-general-level meeting, the ministry official said.

Bangladesh will oppose such a move, said home ministry sources.

Earlier on July 12, the Indian home ministry had made the decision for what it said was to enhance security and mitigate the problems of bordering Indian villages.

“Fence will be shifted towards the zero line to bring Indian villages within the fence,” it said in a statement the next day.

That time, Senior Secretary to Bangladesh home ministry Mozammel Haque Khan said that international law does not allow any establishments to be set up within 150 yards of the zero line. "If they make a move to build anything violating the rules, we will protest it," he  told The Daily Star.

Bangladesh shares its border with five Indian states -- West Bengal (2216.7 Km), Assam (263 Km), Meghalaya (443 Km), Tripura (856 Km) and Mizoram (318 Km).

The issue of border killing will also get priority at the meeting against the backdrop that 28 unarmed Bangladeshis have been killed until now this year by Indian Border Security Force (BSF). Of them, five have been killed in this month.

Earlier, the Indian authority repeatedly assured Bangladesh of bringing an end to the killing of innocent Bangladeshis.

The last BGB-BSF meeting in Dhaka in May decided to bring down the border killings to zero and that Bangladesh and Indian border guards would jointly investigate border killings.

According to the agenda of the upcoming meeting, arrest of Bangladeshi nationals by the BSF and Indian police and illegal border crossing or intrusion into Bangladesh by BSF members will be discussed in New Delhi.