New Delhi, Jun 8 (PTI) A high-level delegation from Bangladesh arrived here on Monday to hold bilateral talks on various border issues including assault on BSF troops and Indian civilians by Bangladeshi nationals and the breaching of the frontier fence by Bangladeshis.
The delegation led by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Director General Maj Gen Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui was received by Border Security Force (BSF) DG Praveen Kumar along with senior officers of the central paramilitary force at the international airport here, officials said.
The two sides will hold the 57th edition of the bi-annual Director General-level border coordination conference from Tuesday until June 11 at the BSF headquarters on Lodhi Road, they said.
The meeting assumes significance as it is being held for the first time since the BNP government took charge in Dhaka early this year and West Bengal elected a new BJP government.
More than half (2,216 km) of the total 4,096-km-long India-Bangladesh international frontier falls in West Bengal. The new state government under Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has declared that it will launch strong action against illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators and that such individuals will face a graded “3D action of detect, delete and deport”.
Adhikari said in Kolkata on Sunday that around 4,800 illegal immigrants have been sent to Bangladesh from holding centres set up in the state’s border districts over the last month, and 836 such people are awaiting deportation from these facilities.
The BSF said on June 3 that the conference agenda included discussions on preventing “assaults” on BSF personnel and Indian civilians by Bangladesh nationals, preventing trans-border crimes, preventing the entry of “Bangladesh criminals” into India and incidents of fence breaching by Bangladesh nationals apart from issues related to fence construction.
“The discussions will also include action against Indian insurgent groups (IIGs) in Bangladesh, issues related to border infrastructure, Confidence Building Measures (CBM) and other issues,” the BSF had said in a statement.
Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed told reporters on Sunday in Dhaka that the issues of alleged “push-ins” by India and border killings will be discussed during the meeting this week.
Indian officials call stopping illegal Bangladeshi migrants at the international border and immediately sending them back “push back”.
About 860 km of the India-Bangladesh border remains unfenced, including 174.51 km of the “not feasible for fencing” gap.
The last meeting between the two sides was held in Dhaka in August 2025 when Bangladesh had an interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus.
The DG-level border talks between the two countries were held annually between 1975 and 1992, but they were made bi-annual in 1993, with either side alternatively travelling to the national capitals of New Delhi and Dhaka.
The BSF is designated as the lead security and intelligence-gathering agency for this front. PTI NES KVK KVK
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