BGB officer’s claim of taking control of 5-km border stretch on Indian side baseless: BSF
Fencing work along the border in Malda district's Sukdevpur on as situation back to normal, say officials
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Initially, the BGB raised concerns about the location of the fence and stopped the installation on Monday. According to local sources, residents from near the Bangladesh border gathered in the area during the exchange. The BSF and BGB officials, however, met again on Tuesday, and the issue was resolved.
The Border Security Force (BSF) has dismissed as “baseless and irresponsible” the claims made by a Bangladeshi Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) officer in a purported video, where he is seen asserting that Bangladesh has taken control of a 5-km stretch on the Indian side along the international border in the Ranghat area of North 24 Parganas district.
The BGB commander’s assertion sparked tension on Tuesday in the border area, with the BSF officials vehemently denying the claim, saying “not an inch has changed on the ground”.
On the other hand, the Ranaghat border outpost falls on the Indian side.
The video shows the BGB officer asserting control over the Kodala river, which flows along the Indian border near the Moheshpur area of Jhenaidah district in southwestern Bangladesh.
An Indian official said, “It is a baseless claim. The river is shared by both India and Bangladesh, with fishing activities taking place on both sides.”
Terming the BGB commander’s “baseless and irresponsible”, BSF Deputy Inspector General (DIG, South Bengal Frontier) NK Pandey emphasised that there has been no change on the ground. The BGB commander’s intention was to stoke tension, the BSF officer said. “We continue to use boats to patrol the river. There has been no change in our access to the Kodala river,” said Pandey.
Also, the BSF on Tuesday clarified that the work on the fence along the India-Bangladesh border in the Sukdevpur area of Malda district is going on as planned and the situation was back to normal. This came a day after the Border Guards Bangladesh allegedly tried to obstruct the construction of a barbed wire fence along the border.
The Central government’s Road Works Department, in collaboration with the BSF, is working on the fencing project.
BSF DIG Pandey confirmed that the construction was on and the situation has since returned to normal. “The BGB raised some concerns. We responded to their objections accordingly. Things are fine and work is going on as normal,” Pandey said.
Officials said there was a brief misunderstanding on the part of the BGB about the work along the border in Malda’s Kaliachak.
Initially, the BGB raised concerns about the location of the fence and stopped the installation on Monday. According to local sources, residents from near the Bangladesh border gathered in the area during the exchange. The BSF and BGB officials, however, met again on Tuesday, and the issue was resolved.
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