BSF employs technological solutions to secure unfenced India-Bangladesh border

Director General of BSF Daljit Singh Chawdhary said that if certain areas are unfenced along the border it does not necessarily mean that infiltration or other cross-border activities are going on along those stretches. File
| Photo Credit: ANI

The Border Security Force (BSF), which guards the border between India and Bangladesh, has deployed a host of technological solutions to prevent infiltration and smuggling in patches of the border that is unfenced.

Director General of BSF Daljit Singh Chawdhary on Tuesday (December 24, 2024) said that if certain areas are unfenced along the border it does not necessarily mean that infiltration or other cross-border activities are going on along those stretches.

“There are some reasons why fencing is not there in certain places, such as around riverine areas. Wherever, there are such gaps we have used technological solutions. We have put obstacles, flood hit those areas, and regular patrolling is going on to ensure there is no infiltration,” the BSF DG said.

Technological solutions means the deployment of cameras, drones, and other equipment to monitor movement along the border.

Mr. Chawdhary said that the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) guards the border on the Bangladesh side and the BSF and BGB have good coordination.

India shares a large 4,096 km border with Bangladesh, of which a 2,216 km long stretch runs alongside West Bengal. The delay in fencing along the West Bengal border is often attributed to the State government’s delay in allocating land for border fencing. More than 80% of the West Bengal border in Bangladesh has been fenced.

Recently, the BSF deployed at least three of its battalions in the State’s Murshidabad district along the zero line. Since there is a high density of population along the Bangladesh border the border is considered porous.

The recent political developments in Bangladesh, particularly after the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s regime have brought focus on infiltration and smuggling along the India Bangladesh border.

The BSF DG made these comments at the sidelines of an event in West Bengal’s Diamond Harbour where he felicitated the women of the All-Women Ganga River Rafting Expedition. Twenty women BSF guards took the 2,500 km journey, from Gangotri in the Himalayas to South 24 Parganas, to spread the message of women empowerment and to call for the clean up of the river Ganga.