India-Bangladesh Border Issues Under Discussion in Ongoing BSF-BGB DG-Level Talks

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday said that issues related to the India-Bangladesh border are being discussed through established bilateral mechanisms, particularly during the ongoing 57th Director General-level Border Coordination Conference between India's Border Security Force (BSF) and Bangladesh's Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).

Addressing media queries regarding reports of people allegedly being pushed across the border by either side, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the matter was being taken up through the appropriate channels.

"We have the Border Guard Bangladesh and BSF DG-level meeting going on; this is a bilateral engagement between India and Bangladesh to discuss relevant issues, and we will hopefully get an update on the meeting," Jaiswal said during the weekly media briefing.

He further stressed that both countries were using the dialogue process to address border-related concerns.

"These are issues which both sides are discussing and will be discussing during their conversation," the MEA spokesperson added.

What is being discussed during the BSF-BGB conference?

The four-day conference began in New Delhi on June 8 and will continue until June 11. The meeting serves as the highest-level regular engagement between the border-guarding forces of India and Bangladesh.

Key issues on the agenda include incidents of fence breaching by Bangladeshi nationals, measures to prevent assaults on BSF personnel and Indian civilians, and efforts to curb trans-border crimes.

The two sides are also discussing ways to prevent the entry of Bangladeshi criminals into India, matters related to border fencing, action against Indian Insurgent Groups (IIGs) allegedly operating from Bangladesh, border infrastructure projects, and Confidence Building Measures (CBMs).

Who is leading the delegations?

The Indian delegation is being led by BSF Director General Praveen Kumar, while the Bangladesh delegation is headed by Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui, Director General of Border Guard Bangladesh.

The previous BSF-BGB Border Coordination Conference was held in Dhaka from August 25 to August 28, 2025.

Why are these meetings important?

The Director General-level meetings are part of a long-standing institutional framework aimed at managing one of South Asia's most sensitive international borders.

The Joint India-Bangladesh Guidelines for Border Authorities, framed in 1975, provide for regular interactions between border officials of both countries to address immediate administrative and security concerns.

These meetings are intended to facilitate communication, resolve disputes, improve coordination, and strengthen trust between the two border forces.

How did the DG-level talks evolve over time?

The first meeting between the heads of the border forces of India and Bangladesh took place in Kolkata on December 2, 1975. The Indian delegation was led by Ashwani Kumar, then Director General of the BSF, while the Bangladesh delegation was headed by Major General Quazi Golam Dastgir, then Director General of the Bangladesh Rifles (now BGB).

Following that meeting, annual DG-level interactions were held alternately in India and Bangladesh until 1993.

During discussions between the Home Secretaries of the two countries in Dhaka from October 7 to 9, 1993, both sides agreed to make the DG-level meetings a biannual exercise.

The agreed summary of discussions highlighted that issues of mutual concern could be progressively resolved through sustained dialogue and close coordination at different levels.

Since then, DG-level Border Coordination Conferences have been held twice every year, alternately in New Delhi and Dhaka, with the outcomes being documented and shared with India's Ministry of Home Affairs.

What happens next?

The ongoing conference is expected to conclude on June 11. Any decisions, understandings, or progress on contentious issues, including reported pushback incidents and broader border management concerns, are likely to be reflected in the joint discussions and subsequent official updates from both sides.

For now, the MEA has indicated that the appropriate forum for addressing such issues remains the ongoing BSF-BGB dialogue mechanism.

(With inputs from ANI)