India-Bangladesh Ties: Tensions have once again flared along the India-Bangladesh border. The situation escalated on Friday over the installation of barbed wire fencing in the Dahagram-Angarpota border area adjacent to the Tinbigha Corridor in the Cooch Behar district of West Bengal.
What Was The Issue?
It is alleged that Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) objected to the land surveying work as soon as it began, resulting in widespread tension throughout the area. According to sources, approximately 105 acres of land need to be acquired to complete the fencing in the open border areas of the Mekhliganj block. Of this, approximately 80 acres fall within the Bangladeshi Chhitmahal Dahagram-Angarpota area located within India. As part of this process, officials from the Land and Land Reforms Department were measuring the land in the presence of landowners on Friday. Some Bangladeshi citizens and BGB personnel objected to the work, leading to a tense situation along the border.
BSF Handles Situation Calmly
However, the Border Security Force (BSF) exercised restraint and handled the situation, averting any major conflict. Following the incident, MLA Dadhiram Rai personally visited the border area on Saturday and held a meeting with BSF officials.
During this period, a flag meeting was also held between the BSF and the BGB at the border. Vinod Singh, Commanding Officer of the 174th Battalion of the BSF, and several officers from the BGB, including Naziur Rahman, were present.
Following the incident, residents of border villages also expressed discontent. Residents: Vishnupad Rai and Jaynath Rai said development work on Indian land is being repeatedly obstructed. They stated that work on Indian land was also halted on Friday. However, the BSF handled the situation with great patience and understanding.
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Administrative sources said that the focus is on completing the fencing work expeditiously to prevent infiltration, smuggling, and other illegal activities along the border. In such a situation, security arrangements in the border area may be further tightened in the coming days.
BJP MLA furious over halted border work
After the meeting, MLA Dadhiram Rai took a firm stance, stating that the barbed wire fencing must be completed within the next 45 days as directed by the state government. There will be no compromise on the issue of national security. Any obstruction from Bangladesh will be met with a firm response.
(With Jagran.com Inputs)