New Delhi: Residents of Lyngkhong village in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills district staged a protest on Sunday. They demanded that the proposed border fence with Bangladesh be built along the “zero line” instead of further inside Indian territory.
The villagers say the existing fencing norms could leave their settlement cut off from the rest of the country. Under current international guidelines, border fencing is generally constructed about 150 yards from the zero line, the international boundary separating the two countries.
Situated almost on the border itself, Lyngkhong is one of the few villages where homes stand only a short distance from settlements across the border in Bangladesh. Residents argue that if the fence is erected inside Indian territory, their village could end up trapped between the border and the fencing.
For years, villagers have relied on a bamboo barrier put up during the Covid-19 pandemic to mark and regulate movement along the border. Locals expressed their concerns about the long-term impact of permanent fencing.
Security officials said a Border Security Force (BSF) outpost has already been established in the village and personnel remain deployed in the area. Authorities maintain that measures are in place to ensure the safety and security of residents living near the border.
Meanwhile, discussions are underway between India and Bangladesh on a proposal to allow a single-row fence along the zero line in locations where existing fencing rules could adversely affect border communities. The proposal is still awaiting a decision from Bangladesh.
The issue comes as India and Bangladesh prepare for their 57th director general-level talks between the BSF and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), scheduled in New Delhi from June 8 to 11. The meeting will be the first between the two border forces since the BNP-led government took office in Bangladesh earlier this year.
Border fencing, illegal migration, cross-border crime and other security issues are expected to be discussed during the four-day talks.
Bangladesh’s home minister, Salahuddin Ahmed, said all major border-related matters, including concerns over cross-border push-ins, would be taken up at the meeting. The Bangladesh delegation will be led by BGB director general Maj Gen Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui, while the Indian side will be headed by BSF director general Praveen Kumar.