New Delhi, Jun 11: India and Bangladesh on Thursday concluded their four-day DG-level border talks here on various issues including assault on BSF troops and Indian civilians by Bangladeshi nationals and the breaching of the frontier fence by Bangladeshis, officials said.
The 57th edition of these talks were held between the Border Security Force (BSF) and its counterpart Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) at the headquarters of the Indian paramilitary at Lodhi Road.
It was probably the first time in the history of these talks that the customary joint press conference by the directors general (DsG) of the two forces, post the signing of a joint record of discussions, was not held.
A press statement on the discussions held during the talks was awaited till the publication of this report.
The Indian delegation was led by BSF DG Praveen Kumar while the Bangladeshi side was headed by BGB DG Maj Gen Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui.
The talks that began after the BGB delegation landed in Delhi on June 8 concluded on Thursday and the guests have returned, officials said.
The meeting assumed significance as it was being held for the first time since the BNP government took charge in Dhaka early this year and West Bengal elected a new BJP government.
More than half (2,216 km) of the total 4,096-km-long India-Bangladesh international frontier falls in West Bengal. The new state government under Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has declared that it will launch strong action against illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators and that such individuals will face a graded “3D action of detect, delete and deport”.
The BSF said on June 3 that the conference agenda included discussions on preventing “assaults” on BSF personnel and Indian civilians by Bangladesh nationals, preventing trans-border crimes, preventing the entry of “Bangladesh criminals” into India and incidents of fence breaching by Bangladesh nationals apart from issues related to fence construction.
Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed told reporters last Sunday in Dhaka that the issues of alleged push-ins by India and border killings were part of their agenda.
Indian officials call stopping illegal Bangladeshi migrants at the international border and immediately sending them back “push back”.
About 860 km of the India-Bangladesh border remains unfenced, including 174.51 km of the “not feasible for fencing” gap.
The last meeting between the two sides was held in Dhaka in August 2025 when Bangladesh had an interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus.
The DG-level border talks between the two countries were held annually between 1975 and 1992, but they were made bi-annual in 1993, with either side alternatively travelling to the national capitals of New Delhi and Dhaka. (PTI)
