Bangladesh Protests Border Violations to India at 68 Points

Bangladesh has lodged a formal protest with India concerning alleged violations of existing bilateral procedures along their shared border. Dhaka communicated to New Delhi that various irregularities and deviations have been identified in fencing and other infrastructure projects at 68 locations. Bangladesh also stated that construction of barbed-wire fencing at an additional 86 sites cannot commence until these issues are rectified.

In a communication sent this week to the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Indian authorities had conducted activities within 150 yards of the border without obtaining Bangladesh's consent. These activities reportedly include attempts to construct barbed-wire fencing, road construction or repair, establishment of border posts, and the building of bridges, culverts, embankments, or similar defensive infrastructure. Bangladesh maintains that these actions are inconsistent with the 1975 Joint Guidelines of the Bangladesh-India Border Authorities and existing bilateral understandings.

This diplomatic protest was conveyed around the time a Director General-level meeting between the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and India’s Border Security Force (BSF) began in New Delhi. The four-day talks, which were on their third day on Wednesday, involved discussions to finalize the draft minutes of the meeting. The meeting concluded on Thursday, with reports indicating a press release would be issued instead of a joint press conference.

The BGB-BSF meeting also took place amidst ongoing attempts by India to push people into Bangladesh, which Dhaka has described as illegal, contrary to human rights, and a violation of international law. India, conversely, maintains that it is repatriating undocumented foreign nationals under its domestic laws. A recent attempt by the BSF to push people through the Rahimpur border area in Jamalpur district was reportedly thwarted by BGB personnel and local residents.

Bangladesh had previously protested similar border activities, including fencing attempts, in February last year. The latest communication from Dhaka highlighted irregularities identified along the border between February 2025 and May 2026. Specific violations at the 68 locations included 39 instances of attempted barbed-wire fencing, 33 cases of road construction or repair, 27 instances of border post construction, and 20 cases involving bridges, culverts, or embankments. The protest also noted observations of armed BSF personnel performing duties within 150 yards of the zero line after fences were installed, and the use of welded wire mesh and bulletproof barbed-wire fencing deviating from approved designs.

According to Prothom Alo English, these actions have led Bangladesh to expect India to take necessary steps to address the identified irregularities.