India-Bangladesh Border Talks Set for Next Week in New Delhi
Upcoming Border Discussions
NEW DELHI, June 1: Next week, India and Bangladesh are scheduled to conduct their bi-annual Director General-level border discussions in New Delhi. This meeting marks the first since the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) assumed power in Dhaka earlier this year.
Topics on the agenda are expected to include border fencing, incidents involving Border Security Force (BSF) personnel, measures to curb infiltration and cross-border crimes, as well as the repatriation of illegal Bangladeshi migrants.
A delegation from the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), led by Director General Maj Gen Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui, will be in the capital from June 8 to 11 to engage with their Indian counterparts from the BSF, headed by DG Praveen Kumar.
India shares a 4,096 km border with Bangladesh, of which approximately 860 km remains unfenced, including 174.51 km deemed 'not feasible for fencing.'
Officials indicate that discussions will primarily focus on cross-border crime and mutual cooperation, with a joint record of discussions anticipated to be signed on June 11.
This meeting is particularly significant as it will be the first high-level border dialogue since the BNP's election victory in February. The last meeting took place in Dhaka in August 2025 under an interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.
The upcoming talks are crucial, especially as the Modi administration has emphasized, through statements from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, that illegal infiltration from Bangladesh and Rohingyas will not be tolerated.
West Bengal, which shares over half of the India-Bangladesh border (2,216.7 km), recently saw a new BJP government take office. According to August 2025 government data, 1,647.69 km of the West Bengal border has been fenced, with 112.78 km remaining unfenced due to geographical challenges such as water bodies and the Sunderbans mangrove area.
Other states bordering Bangladesh include Tripura (856 km), Meghalaya (443 km), Assam (262 km), and Mizoram (318 km).
Sources suggest that the BSF's agenda may address issues such as preventing attacks on BSF personnel and Indian citizens by criminals from Bangladesh, collaborative efforts to combat trans-border crimes, and actions against Indian Insurgent Groups (IIGs) operating in Bangladesh.
Additionally, the Indian side may raise concerns regarding border infrastructure, the construction of a single-row fence (SRF), and airspace violations, including drone incursions.
The BGB is likely to bring up allegations concerning the killing of its nationals by BSF personnel, a claim the BSF denies, asserting that its forces respond with non-lethal ammunition before resorting to lethal measures when faced with serious threats.
Following the August meeting in Dhaka, both sides agreed to enhance efforts to educate border communities about avoiding violations of the international border, illegal crossings, smuggling, human trafficking, and other trans-border offenses.
Historically, DG-level border talks were held annually from 1975 to 1992, transitioning to bi-annual meetings in 1993, alternating between New Delhi and Dhaka.