JOYPURHAT, Oct 20: Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) thwarted yet another attempt by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) to construct a barbed wire fence along the Panchbibi border in Joypurhat.
The incident occurred early Saturday around 5:30 am in the Sonatala border area under the jurisdiction of the Hatkhola BOP camp.
Lt Col Mohammad Nahid Newaz, commander of Joypurhat-20 BGB Battalion, confirmed the matter.
International law prohibits any construction within 150 yards of the border. Despite this, BSF personnel began erecting a temporary barbed wire fence using bamboo poles approximately 20 yards inside Indian territory, near the third and fourth sub-pillars of main pillar 280, according to BGB sources and local residents.
Local residents alerted the BGB patrol team, who arrived at the scene to intervene. The BGB's action forced the BSF to halt their construction efforts, ensuring the integrity of the border remained intact.
In a related development, a flag meeting was held on Saturday evening between the BGB and the BSF. Under the leadership of Naik Subedar Naeemul Islam, company commander of Koya BOP, and AC Ankur, company commander of the 137 Battalion BSF, both sides discussed the ongoing issue of border construction.
The BSF commander assured the BGB that there would be no further attempts to construct the barbed wire fence outside areas allowed under international law.
On October 17, BSF members had made two attempts to build a barbed wire fence using iron poles in the same area, but their efforts were similarly obstructed by BGB personnel.
Following those incidents, a protest letter was sent by Joypurhat Battalion-20 BGB to the commander of the 137 Battalion BSF. —UNB
