The Director General-level conference between Border Guard Bangladesh, or BGB and India's Border Security Force, or BSF, is set to begin in New Delhi today.
This is the first such meeting between the two countries' border forces since the power change in Bangladesh following the July-August mass uprising.
In a statement on Sunday, the BGB confirmed that the 55th border conference is taking place in the Indian capital.
On January 29, Home Adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said in a press conference that Bangladesh would speak on issues such as border killings and drug trafficking in a 'different tone' compared to previous meetings in the conference.
The meeting was initially scheduled for November 2024, but was postponed for three months due to the political upheaval in Bangladesh and rescheduled for February.
The statement said a 14-strong Bangladeshi delegation, headed by the BGB Director General, will participate in the four-day conference.
Officials from the Chief Adviser's Office, the Home, Foreign, and Shipping ministries, the Land Record and Survey Department, and the Joint Rivers Commission will also be present.
The Indian delegation comprises 13 members, headed by the BSF Director General, including senior BSF officials and representatives from India's home and foreign ministries.
According to the BGB, discussions will focus on preventing shootings of unarmed Bangladeshis at the border, reducing incidents of border killings, injuries, detentions, and abductions, and tackling the smuggling of drugs, firearms, and ammunition from India.
Other key topics include preventing illegal crossings, halting unauthorised infrastructure, including barbed-wire fences within 150 yards of the border, and resolving ongoing development issues.
