New Delhi: The Border Security Force (BSF) has equipped its personnel at the Indo-Bangladesh border with body worn cameras (BWCs) to record arrests and pushback of illegal immigrants, smugglers’ activities, and incidents of disagreement or attacks on its patrolling units, so that the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) cannot dispute them later, people familiar with the development said.
many as 2,500 BWCs – small battery-powered digital video cameras with night-recording capability that will be fitted to the jawans’ uniform shirts or winter jackets – have already been handed over to the BSF bordermen while 2,500 more will be sent in coming weeks, officers said.
“A decision to use body-worn cameras was taken particularly in the wake of increasing attacks by drug smugglers or anti-national elements and skirmishes with human traffickers or individuals looking to enter India illegally who then allege use of excess force by BSF. They will help improve officers’ safety, having electronic evidence, record stop and frisk procedures of patrolling units, and help reduce complaints by individuals and BGB at the border,” said an officer.
The border guarding force’s data seen by HT suggests that there were 77 attacks on BSF personnel at the Indo-Bangladesh border in 2024, while 35 such attacks have been recorded till June 30 this year.
Besides, increasing incidents of unauthorised persons trying to enter India or leave for Bangladesh in the last couple of years have also been recorded. For instance, BSF apprehended 2,425 incoming and 1,049 outgoing individuals at the Indo-Bangladesh border in 2024, a number which has been recorded at – 1,372 (incoming) and 3,536 (outgoing) between January 1 and July 15 this year.
Police and border control agencies in several countries including the US Customs and Border Patrol, the UK’s Metropolitan Police, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) of Canada, German and France police among others use BWCs in their daily operations.
Other than BWCs, to create a robust data of illegal immigrants and their instant verification, BSF has also installed at its sensitive posts “biometrics authentication systems” – which are linked with the Foreigners Identification Portal (FIP) of the Bureau of Immigration (BoI), a third officer cited above said. “This is aimed at keeping records of illegal immigrants for future, so that they don’t make another attempt (s),” he said.
Over 2,500 illegal Bangladeshi nationals have been deported in the last few months via various crossings at the Indo-Bangladesh border, said the third officer.
During the last director generals (DGs) level talks between BSF and BGB in Delhi from February 17-20 this year, BSF had pointed out to the other side the assaults or abuse on BSF
personnel and Indian civilians by Bangladesh based criminals or miscreants. Both sides agreed to undertake combined efforts to bring down such incidents to absolute minimum by increasing coordinated patrols especially during late hours of nights to early morning in vulnerable areas and educating the border population regarding the sanctity of the international border, according to a statement issued by BSF in February.
It was also agreed that both BSF and BGB will pursue and share real-time information and investigation reports of traffickers, and remain extra vigilant to curb such crimes, and help victims of human trafficking and facilitate their rescue and fastest rehabilitation as per law of the land.
“The BWCs are a precautionary measure in that direction and to avoid any untoward incident (s),” he said.
India shares a 4,096 kms long border with Bangladesh, which touches West Bengal (2216.7 km), Assam (263 km), Meghalaya (443 km), Tripura (856 km) and Mizoram (318) km). The entire stretch consists of plains, riverine belts, hills and jungles; is heavily populated and is cultivated right up to the border. There are 1,113 Border Out Posts (BOPs) of the BSF on the entire border to deter trans-border criminals, infiltrators and the hostile elements from indulging in the activities of intrusion/ encroachment and border violations.
BSF employs round the clock surveillance and patrolling and monitoring through observation posts, besides using border floodlighting, water crafts/boats and floating Border Out Posts (BOPs) for domination of riverine areas.
A major challenge, according to the first officer, at this border is “its terrain”. “Construction of fencing in certain stretches on this border due to riverine or low lying areas, habitations close to the border, and floods during monsoons makes it difficult to fence the entire border. Out of 4,096 kms long border, only 3,196 kms is fenced. The over 850-km-long border is not feasible to be fenced,” he said.
