Bangladesh force to set up new outposts on India border

Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) have agreed to beef up security and construct at least 10 new border outposts (BOPs) on the India-Bangladesh border to check militancy, crime and trafficking, a BSF official said on Monday.

Officials of the Border Security Force (BSF) and BGB met for five days at the BSF's Tripura frontier headquarters at Shalbagan, 15 km north of here, and discussed matters related to the international border.

The five-member BGB delegation was led by Colonel Sajjad Hossain while the BSF team comprised Deputy Inspector General of Panisagar sector D.K. Sharma and Teliamura Sector DIG Rajeev Sinha and senior officers.

"The BGB officials informed us on the construction of new BOPs facing Tripura and Mizoram," BSF's Tripura frontier Deputy Inspector General and chief spokesman D.S. Bhati told IANS.

He said the BGB will also further tighten security along Tripura and Mizoram frontiers.

"The proposed BOPs in the mountainous Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) will help contain terrorism in the north-eastern states since most camps of Indian insurgent groups, including Tripura militants, are located in south-east Bangladesh's CHT," Bhati said.

"Both sides agreed to increase vigil along the border to foil attempt by militants and other anti-national elements to disrupt internal peace. Besides, emphasis was also given to curb trans-border smuggling," the BSF officer said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh Premier Sheikh Hasina discussed the border issues, including curbing of border crimes and terror activities, during Modi's visit to Dhaka on June 6-7 last year.

Four north-eastern states of Tripura (856 km), Meghalaya (443 km), Mizoram (318 km) and Assam (263 km) share an 1,880-km border with Bangladesh.