India tightens border vigil ahead of Bangladesh elections, BSF on high alert

Guwahati, Feb 11: With the Bangladesh election just a couple of days away, the personnel of the Border Security Force (BSF) guarding the 4,096-km international border with the neighbouring country have been put on high alert to prevent any spillover of disturbance to India.

Sources in the border guarding force told The Assam Tribune that the BSF personnel are always on alert, but they have been directed to take extra precautions in view of the elections in Bangladesh.

Deployment of BSF personnel is adequate at this moment, and there is no need for extra deployment, sources added.

Sources said that they do not apprehend any major trouble during the Bangladesh elections as the election is an internal matter of the neighbouring country.

“But we do not want to take any chance, and that is why the forces have been put on alert,” sources added.

Interestingly, though the relation between India and Bangladesh deteriorated since August 2024 when the caretaker government took over in the neighbouring country, the relation between the border guarding forces remained cordial.

BSF sources expressed that the relations between the BSF and Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) are very good, and coordinated patrolling by both forces is still on.

Even now, BSF and BGB officials are discussing issues relating to strengthening border vigil during elections in Bangladesh.

It may be mentioned here that Bangladesh is going to the polls on February 12, the first time since Sheikh Hasina was overthrown following a student’s protest and a caretaker government headed by Md Yunus took over power in August 2024.

This time, the Awami League has been suspended from participating in the elections, and the main contest will be between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami. Both the BNP and Jamaat had boycotted the previous election, which was won by the Awami League.