A delegation of senior officials of the south Bengal frontier of the Border Security Force (BSF) walked up to the Benapole border outpost of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) on Thursday and held a meeting to discuss various issues pertaining to the frontier.

The delegation, led by Maninder P.S. Pawar, the inspector general of the south Bengal frontier of the BSF, held talks with Bdr Gen Mohammad Humayun Kabir, the regional commander of the southwest region of the BGB, and other officials.

In the past three days, the BGB, along with a section of Bangladeshis, objected to the installation of fences on the Indian side of the border in the Sukdebpur area of Malda. The CPWD, which has been assigned the task of erecting fences, could not carry out the work for such protests.

Since Monday, Bangladeshis staying at the bordering villages of the Chapai-Nawabganj district of the country have been shouting slogans intermittently. Such an act has prompted the villagers of Sukdebpur to assemble and shout slogans exerting their support for the BSF.

“The locality comes under the south Bengal frontier. In this context, today’s meeting has gained significance,” said a former officer who has served the central security forces.

A senior BSF officer said at the meeting, Pawar emphasised the importance of cooperation between the two forces in promoting a more secure border environment.

“The commanders discussed various issues of mutual interest, including joint efforts against cross-border crimes, ongoing development activities in border areas, measures to prevent illegal crossings and effective border management,” he added.

After the meeting, Pawar, while speaking with newspersons in Petrapole, said the BSF was steadfastly guarding the borders.

“We had a meeting with the BGB officers in Benapole. As of now, there is no problem anywhere along the (Indo-Bangla) border. We are guarding our territorial borders perfectly with grit and honour,” he said.

In Sukdebpur, the fence work stopped on Thursday. The BSF officials, however, claimed it had nothing to do with the objections raised by the BGB.

“The decision to halt the work is absolutely ours and has nothing to do with BGB’s objections. It will start at any time. We held flag meetings with the BGB till Wednesday and made them understand that the fencing is being done in our area,” said a BSF officer.