BGB’s claim of reclaiming 5 km area occupied by India is ‘baseless’, says BSF

Last Updated on January 10, 2025 6:01 am

Amidst political tensions, Bangladesh has reclaimed 5 km area occupied by India on the border. However, the country’s border guard force, the BSF, has claimed that the news is ‘baseless’.

This information was reported by Indian news agency PTI on Tuesday (January 7).

According to the report, the BSF has rejected the report that the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) of Bangladesh has taken control of 5 km of land belonging to India along the international border as ‘baseless’ and ‘irresponsible’.

In a statement, the BSF’s South Bengal Frontier said that such reports published by the Bangladeshi media lack ‘truth and merit’.

The BSF also said, ‘Questions have been raised about the area on the Indian side of Ranghat village in Bagda block of North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. There is an International Border (IB) along the Kodalia River and it is well marked by reference pillars on both sides of the river. The international border and the duty pattern of the BSF there have remained unchanged for decades. ’

The BSF statement also denied the claim that BGB personnel have been patrolling the area 24/7 using motorized boats and ATVs since December 19 last year.

The statement further claimed that these reports are nothing but ‘fabricated stories’. The BSF and the BGB have been carrying out their duties on their respective banks of the river, which acts as the International Border (IB). ’

The BSF claimed that the area is unfenced and vulnerable to smuggling and infiltration. Strict measures have been taken to prevent such activities and due to this, infiltration attempts in the area have come down to negligible levels.

The Indian border guarding force claims that ‘not even an inch of Indian territory has been or will be occupied by the adversary. Both the BSF and the BGB are peacefully exercising dominance in their respective areas as per the ‘India-Bangladesh Border Guidelines, 1975’, so that the integrity of the border can be ensured.

The BSF said, ‘Such false and fabricated claims will only destroy the goodwill between the two border guarding forces.’

Recently, the BGB recovered five kilometers of the Kodalia River that was occupied by India in the border area of ​​Maheshpur upazila of Jhenaidah. Since independence, the Indian BSF had occupied that part of the Bangladesh border on the Kodalia River and exercised dominance there. This information was given in a press release of 58 BGB on Monday (January 6) evening.

The BGB press release said that the Kodalia River extends southwards from the interior of Bangladesh and marks the 4.80-kilometer-long Bangladesh-India border in the Matila area of ​​Maheshpur. According to the Bangladesh-India (STEEP Map Seat Number-51) map prepared in 1961, the 4.8-kilometer river of the Kodala River is located entirely within the zero line of the Bangladesh border.

The notification further states that recently this issue regarding the actual ownership of the Kodala River came to the attention of 58 BGB. After that, the BGB first confirmed the actual location of the river from various documents, local administration and maps and strongly protested against the illegal expansion of dominance by the BSF. Later, the members of 58 BGB were able to bring the Kodala River under their control with courage and professionalism. Currently, the BGB members have been allocated mechanical boats for the area and All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) for rapid patrolling on the river banks in addition to increasing the necessary manpower.