India Must Move To Zero Tolerance For Border Transgressions From Bangladesh

The 4,096.7-kilometre Indo-Bangladesh border has long been highly porous, and efforts by the Border Security Force (BSF) to curb border transgressions have always evoked protests from Bangladesh. 

Lately, such protests have grown shriller and more aggressive. The BSF’s punitive actions to curb smuggling or illegal infiltration by Bangladeshis into India have faced sharp condemnation not only from various organisations and civil society but also from Dhaka’s ruling establishment.

The interim government in Bangladesh headed by Muhammad Yunus has, in recent interactions with Indian diplomats, said that the BSF’s actions have been “hostile.”

Bangladesh has recently been warning Indian diplomats that the BSF’s actions against Bangladeshi smugglers and infiltrators undermine cordial ties with India. 

A senior official from India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) who recently engaged with Bangladesh’s interim government told Swarajya that Dhaka has upped the ante on the border. 

“They (Bangladeshi officials) tell us that the BSF’s actions contradict friendly ties between us. Their logic is that if India and Bangladesh are friendly countries, then the BSF should not take harsh action against Bangladeshis on the border,” the senior MEA official said. 

Dhaka has been lodging strong protests over even minor actions by the BSF to thwart smuggling and illegal infiltration.

Of late, even preventing Bangladeshi infiltrators from sneaking into India through the porous border or chasing away Bangladeshi smugglers and impounding contraband goods, including cattle, have evoked strong protests from Dhaka.

The BSF firing teargas canisters or firing in the air to deter Bangladeshi smugglers gets front-page coverage in Bangladeshi newspapers, and various organisations, as well as the now-powerful Anti-Discrimination Students’ Movement (ADSM), are quick to condemn India’s actions.

Admittedly, firing on smugglers and infiltrators by the BSF, and resultant deaths from such firings, have always been emotive issues, and the erstwhile Sheikh Hasina government had requested New Delhi many times to ask the BSF to desist from such strong actions against smugglers and infiltrators.

Over the past couple of years, the BSF has consciously refrained from strong punitive action to thwart border transgressions, often at considerable risk and harm to its personnel.

There have been numerous incidents of BSF personnel sustaining grievous and even fatal injuries in attacks on them by smugglers and infiltrators (read this). 

The unstated desire on Dhaka’s part is for the Indo-Bangladesh border to function as a de facto open border, allowing Bangladeshis free movement across the international boundary. Dhaka operates on the warped logic that if India is truly a friend of Bangladesh, as it claims to be, then India’s border guards (the BSF) should not be harsh on Bangladeshis crossing over,” said the senior MEA official. 

Bangladeshi officials and prominent figures in the current dispensation also argue that their countrymen who try to cross over illegally into India, as well as those engaged in smuggling, do so purely for economic reasons. Hence, they contend, it is unfair for India to be very harsh on them. 

The senior MEA official told Swarajya that interactions with Bangladeshi diplomats and senior figures in the interim government suggest that Dhaka views illegal entry into India as an unfettered right for Bangladeshis.

“The border, to them, is not sacrosanct, and crossing it illegally is no big deal. This mindset stems from a high level of tolerance — and even social and political sanction — in Bangladesh for violating the law. Committing crimes and breaking the law are seen as minor infractions, so illegal border crossings are hardly viewed as serious offenses. That’s why there are protests whenever punitive action by the BSF against smugglers and infiltrators results in deaths or injuries,” the MEA official explained. 

At a social event where the Indian diplomat and the senior Bangladeshi official were present, the latter remarked—half in jest—that illegal infiltrators from Bangladesh provide cheap labor that keeps the wheels of India’s economy turning.

The Bangladeshi official, who serves as an advisor (de facto minister) in the interim government, also argued that cattle smuggling benefits many Indians financially. His reasoning, again delivered in half jest, was that since cow slaughter is illegal in India, old and unproductive milch cattle become a burden on their owners and are often abandoned as stray cattle. 

“But by smuggling them out of India, a lot of the problem of stray cattle that India faces is being taken care of. The business (of cattle smuggling) is also enriching many Indians while providing food and a protein source to people of Bangladesh. India should actually legalise cattle trading so that the government can also earn a lot of revenue,” the Indian diplomat was told. 

Bangladesh’s position is that those attempting to cross the international border should be chased away, and the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) should be alerted immediately.

However, according to senior BSF officers, smugglers and infiltrators are often in league with the BGB, paying off its personnel. As a result, the BGB is not only reluctant to act against these transgressors but also provides them with cover for their cross-border crimes.

Given this, involving the BGB in checking border transgressions would be a self-defeating move, say BSF officers. 

What New Delhi needs to do

India must draw firm red lines and make it clear to Dhaka that the Indo-Bangladesh border is sacrosanct, and border transgressions will not be tolerated.

Bangladesh must be told that its citizens have no right to cross the border illegally. Seeking livelihood through illegal entry into India is not acceptable. It is Bangladesh’s responsibility to explain to its people that the Indo-Bangladesh border is inviolable and should not be crossed illegally.

The current BSF policy of being soft on smugglers and infiltrators and adopting a defensive stance must be abandoned. The BSF must be instructed to take stern action against those violating the border’s sanctity.

New Delhi must also stop being unnecessarily sensitive to Dhaka’s unfounded objections to border fencing. 

A fence is being set up 150 metres away from the ‘zero line’ (the actual border) inside Indian territory, and Bangladesh has no right to object to it.

Dhaka needs to be told that the fence will be constructed regardless of its protests. Any attempts to cut through the fence, a common occurrence in some areas, will result in severe punitive action, including firing.

Bangladesh must understand that its citizens who cross the 'zero line' and attempt to breach the fence to infiltrate India will be treated as criminals and anti-Indian elements, with appropriate measures taken.

The bottom line that New Delhi must make clear to Dhaka is that the border is inviolable, and it is Bangladesh's responsibility to ensure its citizens understand this. Zero tolerance for transgressions must be the new policy. 

Also read: Need To Maintain Friendly Ties With Bangladesh Is Taking A Grim Toll On BSF