BGB’s stern stance prevents India’s effort to construct border fence: Home adviser
Home affairs adviser Lieutenant General (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) is cautious on the border area. India has stopped constructing barbed wire fences along the border due to obstruction from BGB and locals.
The adviser made the remark at a press briefing at the home ministry’s conference room in secretariat Sunday morning, says a release sent by the ministry.
The adviser said India started construction of fences along the border with Bangladesh in five places but had to abandon the execution due to strong objection by BGB and local Bangladeshis.
He thanked the local residents for joining the BGB men in preventing the construction of the fence.
The adviser said BGB is in contact with the Border Security Force (BSF) of India to tackle the situation that ensued. The foreign ministry has also been apprised of the situation. The ministry will take measures through diplomatic channels.
The government has decided to send a letter to India to revoke the unequal agreements that were signed regarding the barbed wire fence along the border.
A director general level meeting between BGB and BSF will be held in February, he added.
The adviser said four agreements were signed between Bangladesh and India at different times regarding border related issues and purview of frontier forces. As per Joint India-Bangladesh Guidelines for border authorities of the two countries-1975 constructing any such fences within 150 yards of the no-man’s-land. Moreover, erecting any construction within 150 yards requires taking consent from the other side.
The advisor told the press conference that Indian authorities have constructed barbed wire fences at 3,271 kilometers of the existing 4,156-kilometer border between Bangladesh and India, and that barbed wire fences have not been constructed at 885 kilometers.
Chief adviser’s special assistant Md Khoda Baksh Chowdhury, inspector general of police (IGP) Baharul Alam and BGB director general major general Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddique were present at the briefing.