India and Bangladesh are set to hold their bi-annual DG-level border talks in Delhi next week, marking the first such meeting after the BNP government took charge in Dhaka early this year. According to Business Standard, a delegation of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) led by its Director General Maj Gen Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui is expected in Delhi between June 8-11 for talks with their counterpart Border Security Force (BSF) led by BSF DG Praveen Kumar. The talks will focus on issues related to border fencing, attacks on BSF personnel, checking infiltration and cross-border crimes and handing over of illegal Bangladeshi migrants. This development comes as the Modi government has underlined that India will not allow illegal infiltration of Bangladeshis and Rohingyas, with officials asserting that all such people will face a graded 3D action of 'detect, delete and deport'. The security and demographic threat posed by illegal immigrants or infiltrators was central to the BJP's election campaigns in the Assembly polls of Bihar (2025), Assam and West Bengal (2026).
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced on Wednesday that the government has initiated intensified measures to strengthen border security by facilitating the construction of BSF outposts and barbed-wire fencing. According to reports from Times Now, Adhikari stated that additional land has now been handed over to the Border Security Force, taking the total tally to 142.79 acres. The Chief Minister made this announcement through a post on X, emphasizing the government's commitment to enhancing security in border areas amid a crackdown on undocumented migrants and fresh deportation directives across districts. As per UNI, the initiative was aimed at enhancing surveillance and tightening security arrangements in vulnerable border areas. The transfer forms part of the State government's decision, taken at its first Cabinet meeting on May 11, to provide 600 acres within 45 days for border fencing and related infrastructure.
As reported by Times Now, Murshidabad accounts for the highest allocation at 38.805 acres, followed by Jalpaiguri with 35.165 acres and Cooch Behar with 22.95 acres. The remaining distribution includes 8.815 acres in Darjeeling, 2.84 acres in Uttar Dinajpur, 20.1701 acres in Dakshin Dinajpur, 10.90 acres in Malda, 0.55 acres in Nadia, and 2.6 acres in North 24 Parganas. According to the latest details from UNI, the state government has handed over 22.925 acres in Cooch Behar, followed by 35.165 acres in Jalpaiguri, 8.815 acres in Darjeeling, 2.84 acres in North Dinajpur, 20.1701 acres in South Dinajpur, 10.90 acres in Malda, 38.805 acres in Murshidabad, 0.55 acres in Nadia, and 2.6 acres in North 24 Parganas to the BSF. According to officials, the land would primarily be used for the construction of new border outposts and expansion of barbed-wire fencing in areas considered vulnerable from the security perspective.
The land transfer is part of the government's comprehensive approach to strengthen border security infrastructure. According to Times Now, the initiative includes facilitating construction of BSF Outposts and Barbed-Wire Fencing across the state's border areas. As per UNI, officials believe the move will help the central force intensify efforts to curb infiltration, cross-border crimes and smuggling activities in sensitive stretches adjoining Bangladesh. The strengthened infrastructure is expected to improve coordination between district administrations and the BSF while enabling round-the-clock surveillance along the border. This development comes after the West Bengal government directed all district magistrates to set up holding centres for apprehended foreigners and released foreign prisoners who are awaiting deportation or repatriation, in line with Ministry of Home Affairs guidelines. Union Home Minister Shah has proposed to expand the BSF's operational mandate and spoken of the 'Smart Border Security' project along these borders for which the Centre has allocated a substantial budget.
The transfer forms part of the State government's decision, taken at its first Cabinet meeting on May 11, to provide 600 acres within 45 days for border fencing and related infrastructure. According to Times Now, fencing work has begun along the India-Bangladesh border in the Phansidewa area of Siliguri subdivision after the West Bengal government handed over 27 kilometres of land to the Border Security Force. The directive, issued on May 23, instructs authorities to act as per the MHA framework on deportation and repatriation procedures for Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas found residing illegally in India. In the first phase of the initiative, 43 acres of purchased land across five districts, along with sanction orders for 31.9 acres of vested land, were transferred to the BSF on May 20. Union Home Minister Shah has announced that 121 hectares of land in the Siliguri corridor, also called the 'chicken's neck', has been transferred to the Centre, and has asked officers to strictly enforce a 'zero tolerance' policy against 'illegal' constructions within 15 km of the country's borders and demolish all such structures.
West Bengal shares a 2,217-km border with Bangladesh, the longest among Indian States, making comprehensive security measures critical for national security. According to the Chief Minister, nearly 1,600 km of the border has already been fenced, while about 600 km remains unfenced. As per Business Standard, India shares a 4,096 km-long international border with Bangladesh, out of which about 860 km remains unfenced, including 174.51 km of the 'not feasible for fencing' gap. The latest handover is being viewed as a significant step towards strengthening border management and completing long-pending security infrastructure projects across Bengal's international border. For several years, fencing and infrastructure projects in various border districts had faced delays because of disputes related to land acquisition, with local resistance and objections from residents slowing down the process of identifying and acquiring land for security projects.
