India constructs barbed wire fencing along Satkhira border areas

India has completed the barbed wire fencing as seen in the picture along Ghojadanga area opposite Bhomra area in Satkhira district. PHOTO: STAR

The Indian government started work on barbed wire fencing in the area on December 10 after lapse of three years.

Construction of the fencing started from Piller No-2 in Satkhira district. The Indian Border Security Force (BSF) personnel are directly supervising the work.

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The Indian government already completed fencing work along 507-kilometre out of 1,500-kilometre border with Bangladesh in the first phase from 1992 to '94.

During the period, the Indian government completed the fencing work along 30 out of 79-kilometre border in Satkhira with West Bengal in India.

In the second phase in 2000, the BSF started work on the barbed wire fencing beyond 150 yards of Amudia and Kaijuri border area in Indian side opposite Taluigachha and Baikari areas in Satkhira.

At that time, the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) protested and resisted the Indian government's move to construct the barbed wire fencing work violating international norms.

At the same time, Indian citizens filed a case against the move of the Government of India. Hundreds of inhabitants live in their houses for long from where the barbed wire fencing is being constructed. As a result, the inhabitants can not utilise schools, markets, temples, mosques and cultivable lands went out of people's reach.

Following local people's case and resistance by the paramilitary BDR, the Indian authorities were compelled to stop the fencing work.

While visiting the Bhomra border area in Sadar upazila on Friday last, this correspondent came to know from reliable sources that the Indian government started the barbed wire fencing work along Ghojadanga border in Bashirhat Sub-division, West Bengal in India opposite Bhomra border in Satkhira (Border piller No-2).

According to a reliable source, a conference of the Inspector General of police of each state of India was held in New Delhi in November last year. In the meeting, it was decided for resumption of construction work of the barbed wire fencing along the West Bengal bordering areas on an emergency basis.

On contact, Major Ashraf, Second-in-Command of 12 Rifles Battalion confirmed the fencing work along the bordering areas of Satkhira.

He, however, said that the BSF has not yet started the fencing work along the bordering disputed Amudia and Kajiri areas where they started fencing in 2000.