Amid heightened unrest in Bangladesh, the Modi government has sounded a high alert along the India-Bangladesh international border. As part of enhanced security, the Border Security Force (BSF) has installed a new design of border fencing (NDF) in the Chicken's Neck (Siliguri corridor) region.
According to a report by The Tribune, citing BSF officials, a 12-foot-high NDF has been installed across nearly 75 per cent of the area. Set up in the critically sensitive stretches, the BSF is on a mission to target areas from where cattle are collected and brought close to the border for smuggling.
Raids are also being held by BSF officials several kilometres into the Indian territory to eliminate any smuggling networks.
Enhanced security measures
According to the BSF, this 12-feet-high new design fencing has powerful cameras and enhanced area domination plans.
To cut the fence would take several minutes and to climb is highly difficult due to its height. These features will help reduce infiltration and cattle smuggling cases.
As part of enhanced security measures, pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras have also been installed along the border. These cams give live feeds for rapid response and this in turn will create a "smart border".
Domination plans have also undergone changes and as part of the new plan, BSF officials aim at areas from where cattle are collected and taken to the border for smuggling. At times, BSF personnel even go several kilometres inside the Indian territory to cut down any smuggling attempts.
New community-centred project has also been initiated by the BSF through which the personnel talk Indian villagers out of getting involved in border crimes with Bangladeshi smugglers.
In other confidence-building measures, the BSF personnel visit the homes of Indian villagers and make them aware of the consequences of engaging in illegal activities. This activity, BSF sources claim, has significantly brought down cattle smuggling and human trafficking cases in the past one year.
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Arrests made
According to official data, since January 2025, the BSF has seized cattle, gold, silver, ammunition along with other contraband worth nearly Rs 8.5 crore. A total of 440 Bangladeshis (including smugglers and touts), 152 Indians and 11 others have been apprehended. Of these, 187 Bangladeshis were handed over to the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).
The BSF officials said that their efforts to tighten security and enhance technological surveillance will continue in the future. They aim to intensify operations against border crimes to make sure security of Chicken's Neck is never compromised.
