The BGB chief maintained that there was no discussion on changing the 1975 clause on border alignment, as this was beyond the scope of this meeting. But the issue of distance from the zero line, where the fence should be, has always been part of the discussion.

“We have requested joint inspection at these locations,” he added.

Border Security Force (BSF) Director General Daljit Singh Chaudhary, on his part, said the Bangladeshi delegation had raised objections regarding fencing at some places along the borders and also hoped that the issue would be resolved in the future.

On the issue of infiltration, particularly after former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India, Chawdhary said, “After August 5, 2024, the forces from both the sides have operationally deployed to stop and curb any kind of infiltration across the border.” All over, the infiltration has substantially gone down and this is done with the active help of the BGB, he added.

This was the first top-level engagement between the two border guarding forces since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in August last year. The last edition of these bi-annual talks was held in Dhaka in March last year.

The BSF guards the 4,096-kilometre-long India-Bangladesh boundary that runs across five states - West Bengal (2,217 kilometres), Tripura (856 kilometres), Meghalaya (443 kilometres), Assam (262 kilometres) and Mizoram (318 kilometres).

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