Not afraid of barbed wire: Bangladesh after Bengal's border fencing push

After West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced land transfer to the BSF for border fencing within 45 days, Bangladesh on Monday said Dhaka was “not afraid of barbed wire” and urged New Delhi to adopt a “more humane approach” towards border security.

Speaking to reporters at the Foreign Ministry in Dhaka, Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Advisor M Humayun Kabir said the government would raise concerns whenever necessary to safeguard its national interests. “Where we need to talk, we will talk,” he said.

His remarks came after Adhikari announced that the state government had initiated the process of transferring land to the BSF for fencing the India-Bangladesh border. Reacting to the move, Kabir said Bangladesh would watch whether the new West Bengal government’s “election rhetoric” translated into actual policy.

“We do not want to get involved in their internal politics. Our relationship is primarily with the central government,” he said.

Kabir also stressed the importance of regional peace and dialogue, saying both countries’ leadership remained committed to improving bilateral ties despite existing challenges.

The advisor said India must adopt a more humane approach to border security if it wants to deepen people-to-people ties with Bangladesh.

SUVENDU ADHIKARI FIRM ON BORDER SECURITY

Chairing his first Cabinet meeting at Nabanna after the BJP’s sweeping Assembly election victory, Adhikari on Monday announced that the state government would hand over all land required for fencing the India-Bangladesh border to the BSF.

West Bengal shares a 4,097-km border with Bangladesh, of which around 3,240 km has already been fenced, according to the Union Home Ministry. Nearly 850 km, including 175 km of difficult terrain, still remains uncovered.

The BJP has long accused the previous Trinamool Congress (TMC) government of delaying land transfers for fencing work, while the TMC argued that concerns related to local residents and livelihoods needed to be addressed first.

Under the TMC regime, border security fell under the Centre and is handled by the BSF, but land acquisition and administrative clearances for fencing projects were managed by the state government.

During the West Bengal election campaign, Home Minister Amit Shah had promised that a BJP government would transfer all pending land to the BSF within 45 days.

- Ends