India and Bangladesh are set to hold their bi-annual Director General-level border talks in New Delhi next week, marking the first such engagement since the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) assumed power in Dhaka earlier this year.

The meeting is scheduled between 8 and 11 June at a Border Security Force (BSF) base in the capital, with BSF Director General Praveen Kumar leading the Indian delegation and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Director General Maj Gen Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui heading the visiting team.

The agenda is expected to cover a wide range of issues, including border fencing, attacks on BSF personnel, infiltration, cross-border crimes, and the handing over of illegal Bangladeshi migrants. 

Officials have indicated that discussions will also focus on mutual cooperation, with both sides expected to sign a joint record of discussions on 11 June. This meeting follows the last DG-level talks held in Dhaka in August 2025, when an interim government led by Muhammad Yunus was in power.

India shares a 4,096 km-long border with Bangladesh, of which about 860 km remains unfenced. Within this, 174.51 km is deemed “not feasible for fencing” due to geographical challenges such as rivers, water bodies, and the Sunderbans mangrove terrain.

West Bengal accounts for more than half of this frontier, with 2,216.7 km of the border lying within the state. According to government data from August 2025, 1,647.69 km of this stretch has been fenced, while 112.78 km is classified as non-feasible.

A further 456.22 km is considered feasible for fencing, and the new BJP-led government under Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has already begun handing over land to the BSF to expedite construction.

The Union government has consistently emphasised its “3D” approach—detect, delete, and deport—towards illegal infiltrators, including Bangladeshis and Rohingyas. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has reiterated that India will not tolerate illegal migration, while Adhikari has echoed similar sentiments at the state level. The fencing initiative is seen as a critical step in strengthening border management and curbing infiltration.

Four other states share borders with Bangladesh: Tripura (856 km), Meghalaya (443 km), Assam (262 km), and Mizoram (318 km). The BSF’s agenda points for the forthcoming talks are expected to include measures to prevent attacks, assaults, abuse, and stone pelting on BSF personnel and Indian nationals by Bangladesh-based miscreants.

Joint efforts to combat trans-border crimes, action against Indian Insurgent Groups (IIGs) operating from Bangladesh, and concerns over delays in the BGB taking custody of apprehended illegal entrants are also likely to be raised.

Infrastructure-related issues such as the construction of single-row fencing (SRF) and air violations, including drone intrusions, may form part of India’s proposals. On the other hand, the BGB is expected to raise concerns over alleged killings of its nationals by BSF troops.

The BSF has consistently denied these allegations, stating that its personnel employ a graded response, beginning with non-lethal ammunition and resorting to lethal force only when faced with grave threats to its troops or Indian civilians.

The August 2025 meeting in Dhaka had seen both sides agree to sensitise border populations against illegal crossings, smuggling, human trafficking, uprooting border pillars, and other trans-border crimes. 

The DG-level talks, held annually between 1975 and 1992, were upgraded to a bi-annual format in 1993, with meetings alternating between New Delhi and Dhaka.

The BSF continues to serve as the lead security and intelligence-gathering agency for this frontier, underscoring the importance of these engagements in maintaining stability along one of South Asia’s most sensitive borders.

PTI