BSF on ‘high alert’ with situation turning volatile in Bangladesh
Darjeeling: The BSF has sounded a “High Alert” on the Indo-Bangladesh border with security being beefed up all along the 4156 km land border, the fifth-longest in the world.
This comes on the heels of the situation becoming volatile with the ongoing unrest in Bangladesh culminating in the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina government and the Bangladesh Army set to form the government. Daljit Singh Chaudhary, Director General, BSF visited the border areas in Bengal and also reviewed operational preparedness on Monday. Vehicular movement across the Indo-Bangladesh borders in Bengal has been halted.
The BSF on “High Alert” instructed all field commanders to be “on ground” along with deploying all personnel on border duty from Sunday. Along with additional manpower being deployed, electronic surveillance has also been increased. A strict vigil was being kept so that no illegal immigration could take place “using the unrest as a cover” stated a source. There were reports of movement of platoon-size Army units in the hinterland in the Indo-Bangladesh border areas. However, the Army did not confirm this.
India shares a 4156 km border with Bangladesh with 2217 km falling in Bengal where the transit points are Petrapole, Mahadipur, Fulbari, Changrabandha (Cooch Behar) and Hili. “Security is manned by the BSF on the India Bangladesh border. However, we are in alert mode,” stated Pawan Kadyan, DM, Cooch Behar, talking to the Millennium Post.
The borders wore a deserted look on Monday with tension clearly palpable on the Bangladesh side. One Mohammad Abdul Hannan Sheikh of Panchagarh, Bangladesh, who somehow had managed to cross over to Fulbari border in the Jalpaiguri district, dubbed the situation in Bangladesh as “unimaginably bad.”
Many Bangladeshis were seen on the borders, desperately trying to return. Most of them had come to India for treatment. Daljit Singh Chaudhary, DG, BSF along with Ravi Gandhi, ADG, Eastern Command and Pratap Singh, Inspector General, South Bengal visited the border in North 24-Parganas district and Sunderbans to assess the situation.
After the briefing, the BSF top brass visited Dhamakhali in North 24-Parganas.
The Commandant of the 118th Battalion briefed the DG on the battalion’s water border responsibilities along Bangladesh en route to the Floating BOP deployed at T-junction, highlighting the unique challenges of the rainforest and water-rich terrain. The visit concluded with a visit to the outpost located in the dense rainforest of Sundarbans.
