Delhi to host first Director General-level BSF-BGB talks since BNP came to power in Bangladesh

The last DG-level talks were held in Dhaka in August last year during the tenure of an interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.

India-Bangladesh border guards conference to begin on June 8 in New Delhi. (Photo | ANI)

NEW DELHI: The Border Security Force (BSF) on Wednesday said that the 57^th Director General (DG)-level Border Co-ordination Conference between the border guarding forces of India and Bangladesh will be held here at its headquarters between June 8 and 11.

A delegation of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) led by its chief Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui, would be visiting New Delhi to hold talks with the Indian delegation spearheaded by BSF DG Praveen Kumar, it said.

This is going to be the first high-level border meeting between the two border guarding forces since the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) came to power in February this year. The last DG-level talks were held in Dhaka in August last year during the tenure of an interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.

The BSF in an official statement said, “During the course of conference, discussions will be held on prevention against assault on BSF personnel and Indian civilians by Bangladesh Nationals, to prevent trans-border crimes, prevent entry of Bangladesh criminals into India, incidents of fence breaching by Bangladesh nationals, construction of fence, action against Indian Insurgent Groups (IIGs) in Bangladesh, issues related to border infrastructure, Confidence Building Measures (CBM) and other issues.”

India shares a 4,096-km-long border with Bangladesh, portions of which remain unfenced due to difficult terrain. Officials said over 860 km of the stretch is currently unfenced, including areas deemed non-feasible for fencing due to geographical constraints such as riverine zones and the Sundarbans.

The BGB is likely to flag concerns over alleged killings of its nationals by the BSF, allegations that the Indian side has previously rejected, stating that its personnel act strictly in self-defence using graded response measures, sources said.

The DG-level talks, initiated in 1975 and made bi-annual in 1993, are held alternately in New Delhi and Dhaka, with both sides seeking to enhance coordination on border management and curb illegal activities along the frontier.