Indian Border Issues with Bangladesh

• The relationship between India and Bangladesh is rooted in tradition, culture, language, and mutual values such as secularism, democracy, and a plethora of other similarities. India first recognised Bangladesh as a separate and independent state, and their diplomatic relations were established soon after its independence in December 1971
• From 1947 to 1971, Bangladesh was a part of Pakistan. It was made up of British India’s partitioned areas of Bengal and Assam. The people of this region resented western Pakistan’s dominance and the imposition of the Urdu language
• They began protests against the unfair treatment of Bengali culture and language in contemporary world politics. They also demanded equal representation in government and a fair share of political power. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman led the popular resistance to West Pakistani dominance

He demanded independence for the eastern region

• In the 1970 elections in Pakistan, the Awami League, led by Sheikh Mujib, won all of the seats in East Pakistan and a majority in the proposed constituent assembly for the entire country. However, the government, which is dominated by the West Pakistani leadership, has refused to convene the assembly
• Sheikh Mujib was apprehended. The Pakistani army attempted to suppress the Bengali people’s mass movement under the military rule of General Yahya Khan. Thousands of people were killed by the Pakistani army. This resulted in a large-scale migration into India, creating a massive refugee problem for the country

• The Indian government supported the people of East Pakistan’s demand for independence, both financially and militarily. As a result, India and Pakistan fought a war in December 1971, which ended with the surrender of Pakistani forces in East Pakistan and the formation of Bangladesh as an independent country
• The use of the Chattogram and Mongla ports in Bangladesh for the movement of goods to and from India, particularly Northeastern India, is one of seven agreements.
• Tripura uses Bangladesh’s Feni river for drinking water supply
• However, no progress on the long-delayed Teesta water-sharing agreement was reported
• Data and information exchange to prepare a framework of interim sharing agreements for six rivers: Tripura’s Manu, Muhuri, Khowai, and Gomati rivers, Bangladesh’s Dharla river, and West Bengal’s Dudhkumar river
• The inland water trade route Daudkanti (Bangladesh)-Sonamura (Tripura) will be included in the Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade
• Consensus on lifting restrictions on entry and exit from Indian land ports for Bangladeshi citizens with valid documents
• Implementation of India’s Lines of Credit (LoCs) committed to Bangladesh

The following are three bilateral development partnership projects

• Bulk Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) imports from Bangladesh
• The Vivekananda Bhaban (students’ hostel) at Ramakrishna Mission in Dhaka was inaugurated
• Bangladesh-India Professional Skill Development Institute (BIPSI) is inaugurated at the Institution of Diploma Engineers Bangladesh (IDEB) in Khulna, Bangladesh
• Both parties expressed satisfaction with the progress made in finalising a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the establishment of a coastal surveillance radar system in Bangladesh

• India has provided such systems to Mauritius, Seychelles, and the Maldives, and is planning to provide one to Myanmar
• The coastal surveillance system will pave the way for the future Indo-Bangladesh White Shipping Agreement. This will be useful in light of rising terror threats via the seas and China’s growing presence in the Bay of Bengal region
• Both Leaders agreed to the early operationalization of the Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicles Agreement for the movement of goods and passengers between willing and ready member countries, or to work toward a bilateral India-Bangladesh Motor Vehicles Agreement, as appropriate
• The leaders directed their officials to expedite the establishment of the twelve Border Haats agreed upon by both countries
• A feasibility study for the Ganga-Padma barrage project will be carried out as part of an updated version of the Ganga Water Sharing Treaty signed in 1996
• The Bangladesh Prime Minister expressed concern about the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, an effort to identify genuine Indian citizens living in Assam and to weed out illegal Bangladeshis
• The Bangladesh Prime Minister asked his Indian counterpart to use his “good relations” with the Myanmar government to facilitate the return of all refugees (Rohingyas), while also thanking India for the aid given to refugees in Bangladesh and the construction of 250 homes for them in Myanmar
• Geographically, Bangladesh shares the largest land border with India of almost 4096 kilometers. The Indian states of Assam, Mizoram, West Bengal, Tripura, and Meghalaya share borders with Bangladesh. A maritime boundary also exists between the two nations
• From a security perspective, the porous border and riverine borders have caused issues between the two nations. In this regard, two important issues can be seen:
  • illegal migration from Bangladesh to India: Many smuggling incidents and human trafficking rackets have been busted from this region
  • Movement of several insurgents belonging to the North-Eastern insurgent groups and other terrorists who have used this region to inflict damages on India
• Considering the border regions and their socio-economic developments, the two nations have operationalized two Border Haats each in the states of Tripura and Meghalaya
• The relationship has entered a state of a golden age in the past few years. The settlement of the border dispute with the signing of the ‘Land Boundary’ Agreement (LBA) in 2015 has further solidified the relationship
• The 2015 LBA was endorsed on 6 June 2015 in Bangladesh. The noteworthy understanding worked with the exchange of 111 areas, amounting to 17,160.63 sections of land, from India to Bangladesh. On the other hand, India got 51 areas, amounting to 7,110.02 sections of land, which were in Bangladesh
• It should be noted that in the land trade, Bangladesh acquired more domain than India
• Security in the border regions: In recent times, the Border Security Force (BSF) has cracked down on smugglers and illegal migrants from Bangladesh. This has triggered a public crisis in Bangladesh. Many analysts have attributed this recent religious indoctrination

In conclusion

There is a large opportunity for India-Bangladesh ties to move to the next level, with the principles of cooperation, coordination, and consolidation.Peace is the foremost requirement for development. So, effective border management is necessary for ensuring a tranquil, stable, and crime-free border.