AGARTALA, Aug 1: The Border Security Force Tripura frontier is monitoring the developments in Bangladesh and maintaining close coordination with Border Guards of Bangladesh (BGB) at various levels, a senior BSF official said.
Bangladesh recently witnessed violent clashes between the police and mostly student protesters demanding an end to a controversial quota system that reserved 30 per cent of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s War of Independence in 1971.
“Due to the ongoing situation, the BSF is constantly monitoring the development across the border and maintaining close coordination at various levels”, he said.
The senior official said in addition to the IG BSF- Region Commander level conference in July, four Commandant level flag meetings and 150 Company Commander /BOP level meetings with BGB were held.
The border areas which are vulnerable are being dominated by BSF and BGB jointly by carrying out special coordinated patrols, he said, adding over 100 such patrols have been carried out during July.
He said the efforts have reinforced the mutual trust between the two border guarding forces and have greatly enhanced the synergy.
“This was visible in the recent safe return of students from Bangladesh through the Tripura Border. BSF was instrumental in facilitating the safe return of more than 900 students till date”, he said.
According to him, the BSF Tripura Frontier has adopted a multi-pronged strategy to prevent trans-border crime and illegal infiltration. “Troops on the border have been augmented especially in areas which are vulnerable to smuggling and infiltration. Surveillance has been stepped up and thermal imagers and drones have been inducted”, he said.
The official said Inspector General (IG), Tripura Frontier, Patel Piyush Purushottam Das has directed all field commanders to step up coordination with all agencies including state police, TSR, GRP, RPF, Customs, Revenue Intelligence and other agencies for sharing of intelligence and carrying out joint operation both on border and hinterland against illegal infiltrators and trans border smugglers.
“In the month of July, 56 cases of firing from Non-Lethal weapons took place in the border area in which more than 70 rounds were fired to prevent the trans-border criminals and infiltrators. It has been reliably learnt that 6 trans-border criminals have sustained injuries due to the firing”, he said. (PTI)