BSF refutes media reports on border stretch takeover by Border Guard Bangladesh
Times of India | 8 January 2025
PETRAPOLE: Border Security Force (BSF) has denied as "baseless" Bangladesh media reports that claim the country's border guards have taken over a 5km riverine border stretch in Ranghat village of Bagdah block in North 24 Parganas.
A Bangladeshi media channel on Monday reported that Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) had "reclaimed" the stretch situated along Kodaliya river. It quoted a BGB press release that said its 58th battalion had claimed the territory located in Moheshpur upazila of Jhenaidah district.
A BSF statement issued on Tuesday called the report "baseless, irresponsible and bereft of any truth and merit". "The false and fabricated claims made by the newly appointed commanding officer of 58 BGB, Lt Col Rafique Islam, are strongly refuted. BSF assures that not an inch of Indian land is either taken over nor will be taken over by the counterpart," it said.
Nilotpal Kumar Pandey, DIG, South Bengal Frontier of BSF said, "The claims are absolutely baseless. There is no truth in it. Status quo is being maintained and there is no change on the ground whatsoever. Complete peace and harmony is being maintained."
No change in activities, it is a misinformation campaign: BSF
The Bangladeshi news reports, which were shared by several social media handles, feature a video of a purported BGB officer in uniform making the claim on "reclaiming" the territory. Standing in the backdrop of a river, the officer boasts, "Earlier, whenever any Bangladeshi national tried to get close to the river, they used to be stopped by BSF. But now, we have reclaimed rights over the river and Bangladeshi locals can conduct riverine activities."
According to BSF statement, the IB runs along the Kodaliya river and is well demarcated by reference pillars on either side due to the border being riverine. "Both BSF and BGB perform duty on their side of river, the centre of which is the IB," it said, adding that the area was unfenced and prone to cross-border infiltration by Bangladeshis.
Another BSF officer said, "There has been no change in activities. Fishing activities were allowed on both sides earlier and are happening now too. Boats of both countries are plying. This is a misinformation campaign." According to Bangladeshi media reports, BGB claimed that the Indo-Bangla cartographic document from 1961 validates that the 4.8-km waterway segment is situated wholly within Bangladesh's sovereign territory and on Dec 19, it began a 24-hour patrol using motorised boats and all-terrain vehicles to establish control over the river.