5 Things About Fenced And Unfenced Parts Of India-Bangladesh Border

West Bengal’s new Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday gave formal approval to transfer 600 acres of land to the Border Security Force (BSF) for fencing the border with Bangladesh, fulfilling a key promise to tackle illegal infiltration from Bangladesh.

Chairing the first Cabinet meeting at Nabanna (state secretariat), Adhikari said the BSF would get full control of the land required for fencing the India-Bangladesh border, and the transfer will take 45 days. “Once this is accomplished, the BSF will complete the border fencing and the issue of illegal infiltration will be resolved within a short period,” he said.

Infiltration emerged as a major election issue in West Bengal. For years, BJP leaders accused the TMC government of adopting a soft

approach towards illegal immigration and demographic changes in border districts. The TMC repeatedly rejected those allegations, saying the Centre was responsible for the fencing.

Five Things To Know About India-Bangladesh Border

• The India-Bangladesh border is 4,096 km long, stretching across five Indian states – West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. It is the longest international border India shares with any country.
• West Bengal shares the largest portion of the border with Bangladesh, with around 2,216 km. The border includes riverine areas and densely populated districts and is guarded by the Border Security Force (BSF).
• Out of the entire border, 1,647.696 km has been covered by the fence. The work is pending in 569 km – including 112 km declared as non-feasible, and 456 km declared as feasible. The non-feasible areas include rivers, marshlands, dense forests and hilly terrain, where fencing cannot take place.
• Out of 456.224 km of feasible border length in West Bengal, land for 77.935 km has been handed over to the executing agency. Land acquisition is yet to be initiated for 148.971 km, while land for 229.318 km is in various stages of acquisition.
• According to a 2025 release by the Ministry of Home Affairs, there were 745,000 incidents of illegal infiltration and cross-border crimes till July 2025. There were 3,245,700 such incidents reported in 2024.

Who Is Responsible For Fencing?

The responsibility of fencing is primarily the responsibility of the Central government, particularly the Ministry of Home Affairs and the BSF. However, the state government also plays a crucial role as land acquisition and transfer come under the state’s jurisdiction.

The fencing issue became politically sensitive after the Centre expanded the BSF’s jurisdiction in Bengal from 15 km to 50 km inside the border areas in 2021, which was fiercely opposed by the then-TMC government. Former CM Mamata Banerjee said she would allow land transfer to the BSF after the Centre rolls back the “arbitrary” decision.

How Immigration Became A Key Poll Issue

In the run-up to the election, the reported movement of Bangladeshi nationals across checkpoints in border districts like Murshidabad evolved into a heated political debate, with the BJP alleging that unchecked migration was altering demographic balance and affecting voter rolls. The TMC rejected these allegations as politically motivated.

The issue gained additional sensitivity following concerns over the growing influence of Jamaat-e-Islami in some Bangladeshi border districts adjoining West Bengal. Jamaat’s strong performance in 2025 recent Bangladesh elections raised concerns about possible spillover effects involving radicalisation, smuggling networks and cross-border extremist activity.