BSF to hold talks with Border Guards Bangladesh from Aug 25 to 28 in Dhaka

The Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) will hold Director General (DG)-level talks in Dhaka from August 25 to 28. The Indian delegation will be led by BSF Director General Daljit Singh Chawdhary, while BGB Director General Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui will head the Bangladesh side. This will be the second DG-level meeting since the regime change in Bangladesh on August 5, 2024, which saw former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina leave the country and seek asylum in India.

The DG-level talks are bi-annual and are hosted alternately in India and Bangladesh. The previous round was held in New Delhi from February 17 to 20, 2025. According to officials, the conference will focus on a wide range of issues, including prevention of assaults on BSF personnel and Indian civilians by Bangladesh-based miscreants, curbing trans-border crimes, and taking action against Indian Insurgent Groups (IIGs) operating in Bangladesh. Joint implementation of the Coordinated Border Management Plan (CBMP), construction of a single-row fence, and Confidence-Building Measures (CBMs) are also on the agenda.

Border infrastructure and fencing disputes are expected to be key discussion points. Of the total 4,096.7 km India-Bangladesh border, 864.48 km remains unfenced. Despite earlier agreements, BSF officials have reported that BGB personnel have prevented construction of fencing at several sites, leaving around a dozen stretches unresolved where the two sides have yet to reach a compromise.

The issue of illegal crossings will also be raised. In 2024, the BSF apprehended 3,474 Bangladeshi nationals attempting to enter or leave India illegally, while 3,342 such cases were recorded in 2023. Following the fall of the Hasina government in August 2024, 2,330 Bangladeshi nationals were apprehended between August and December that year. The Union Home Ministry has also reported that BSF lodged 85 protests with BGB regarding construction activities close to or inside Indian territory in 2024.

Incidents of violence along the border have added to security concerns. In 2024, 69 BSF personnel sustained injuries in attacks involving armed groups, smugglers, and criminals, compared to 74 injuries in 2023. The DG-level conference, first institutionalized after discussions in 1993 between the Home Secretaries of India and Bangladesh, continues to serve as the main forum for resolving operational and administrative issues along the border.