India, Bangladesh to begin border conference on Monday

The home advisor has already said Bangladesh will raise concerns differently this time

The director general-level conference between Border Guard Bangladesh, or BGB, and India’s Border Security Force, or BSF, is set to begin in New Delhi on Monday.

This is the first such meeting between the two countries’ border forces since the power change in Bangladesh following the July-August mass uprising.

In a statement on Sunday, the BGB confirmed that the 55th border conference is taking place in the Indian capital.

On Jan 29, Home Advisor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said in a press conference that Bangladesh would speak on issues such as border killings and drug trafficking in a "different tone" compared with previous meetings in the conference.

The meeting was initially scheduled for November 2024, but was postponed for three months due to the political upheaval in Bangladesh and rescheduled for February.

The statement said a 14-strong Bangladeshi delegation, headed by the BGB director general, will participate in the four-day conference.

Officials from the Chief Advisor’s Office, the home, foreign, and shipping ministries, the Land Record and Survey Department, and the Joint Rivers Commission will also be present.

The Indian delegation comprises 13 members, headed by the BSF director general, including senior BSF officials and representatives from India’s home and foreign ministries.

According to the BGB, discussions will focus on preventing shootings of unarmed Bangladeshis at the border, reducing incidents of border killings, injuries, detentions, and abductions, and tackling the smuggling of drugs, firearms, and ammunition from India.

Other key topics include preventing illegal crossings, halting unauthorised infrastructure, including barbed-wire fences within 150 yards of the border, and resolving ongoing development issues.

In addition, the meeting will discuss setting up proper water treatment plants to manage waste from four canals flowing from Agartala into Akhaura, opening the mouth of Rahimpur Canal connected to the Kushiyara River in Zakiganj, and exchanging intelligence on the possible locations and activities of regional armed insurgent groups.

Both sides will discuss the effective implementation of the “Coordinated Border Management Plan” to improve border security and enhance bilateral ties through trust and cooperation.

The conference will conclude on Feb 20, with the Bangladeshi delegation set to return the same day.