High alert on border after coup in Bangladesh, BSF keeping an eye on every inch; DG visited the front line

The Border Security Force (BSF) has become alert after the ongoing violent protests in Bangladesh. The BSF on Monday issued a 'high alert' for all its units along the 4,096 km long India-Bangladesh border in view of the developments in Bangladesh.

Officials said that BSF's Acting Director General (DG) Daljit Singh Chaudhary and other senior commanders visited the front line in West Bengal to review the security situation. The Director General reached Kolkata by plane from Delhi at around 10:30 am. The Director General reviewed the preparations in North 24 Parganas district and Sundarban area.

A senior officer said that the BSF has instructed all its 'field commanders' to immediately deploy all personnel on border duty. The spokesperson of the South Bengal 'Frontier' of BSF at the Kolkata headquarters said that in view of the changed situation in Bangladesh, the BSF has issued an alert on the entire India-Bangladesh border and the number of soldiers deployed on the border has increased.

The BSF chief is expected to stay in the area for the next few days. The Delhi-based BSF spokesperson said that the situation on the Bangladesh border is normal now. He said that the jawans are aware and alert of the recent developments and the situation on the international border is being closely monitored to deal with any unexpected situation.

He said that in view of the widespread protests in Bangladesh, the leaves of all the personnel posted on the border with this neighboring country were canceled during the last few weeks and now all the units have been asked to be 'fully alert'. A senior Eastern Command official said the force is concerned about the increase in illegal border crossings and cross-border crimes in view of the emerging situation. He said the BSF is in touch with its counterparts in the Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB).

The official said all border stations (LCS) and integrated check posts (ICPs) along the border are on alert and the movement of civilians has been restricted. Another official said about 3,000 Indian students in Bangladesh are now expected to return home. The BSF guards the Indian border on the country's eastern border with its 87 battalions. The country's eastern border is shared by five states.

It is known that West Bengal shares a total border of 2,217 km with Bangladesh, apart from Tripura (856 km), Meghalaya (443 km), Assam (262 km) and Mizoram (318 km) share the border. Meanwhile, amid massive protests against her government, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned on Monday and left the country.