India’s Border Security Force (BSF) on Saturday prevented Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) from constructing an “unauthorized bunker” within 150 meters of the international boundary, marking the second such intervention in as many days amid heightened border tensions between the two neighbors.
Officials from BSF’s Eastern Command in Kolkata reported that the construction, initiated Friday night on the Bangladeshi side, was detected during a patrol. This follows a similar incident on Friday when BSF halted BGB from building a “sentry bunker” in the Dahagram Angarpota area along the North Bengal frontier.
“On February 1, a BSF team from sector Kishanganj observed fortification work being carried out by Bangladeshi nationals along the Kulik River embankment within 150 yards of the zero line,” a senior official stated. The site falls under BGB’s Govindpur border outpost.
After BSF raised objections during a flag meeting, BGB personnel agreed to stop the construction. “Joint India-Bangladesh guidelines prohibit defense-related structures within 150 yards of the international boundary. However, BGB continued these activities despite the existing regulations,” the official added.
BSF has recently noted that BGB personnel have been constructing bunkers beyond the 150-yard limit and arming their forces with both lethal and non-lethal weapons. While such constructions outside the restricted zone had not triggered objections, the latest incident has intensified tensions.
This standoff comes amid growing friction between the two border forces since Bangladesh’s regime change last August. Tensions further escalated last month when clashes erupted between Indian and Bangladeshi villagers in Malda, North Bengal, over BSF’s efforts to build a border fence, leading to stone-pelting incidents.
The ongoing border disputes reflect broader shifts in bilateral relations since former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India on August 5 amid political upheaval. Under her administration, several Indian infrastructure projects had been approved, but the new caretaker government, led by Muhammad Yunus, has adopted a different stance.
Since August, BGB has increasingly opposed BSF construction at multiple previously sanctioned sites along the 4,156-kilometer shared border. Recent months have also seen growing confrontations involving local communities, allegations of crop theft, and social media-driven tensions, signaling a shift from conventional border management challenges to more localized conflicts.
