Lalmonirhat Correspondent

Though the construction of a barbed wire fence along the zero line of the Dahagram border by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) has stopped following protests, the recent hanging of glass bottles on the fence by the BSF fueled concerns among the residents of Dahagram union in Lalmonirhat’s Patgram upazila.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) officials, however, have urged residents to remain calm.

Farmers working on the agricultural lands near the zero line are especially feeling uneasy now, fearing the potential resumption of construction and the implications of the hanging glass bottles, the purpose of which remains unclear.

Amir Khasru, assistant director of Rangpur 51 BGB Battalion, said, “The BSF has halted construction of the barbed wire fence. We have requested its removal and an explanation for the glass bottles but have yet to receive a response.”

“To prevent panic, we have increased patrols and are boosting morale among residents,” he added.

Dahagram, spanning 22.68 square kilometers, is surrounded on three sides by India’s Cooch Behar district and bordered by the Teesta River on the fourth. Its around 22,000 residents access the rest of the country through the 200-meter Tinbigha Corridor. Agriculture is their primary livelihood, and any disruption at the border directly impacts their lives.

The tension began on January 10, when the BSF started constructing a one-kilometer-long barbed wire fence along the zero line Munshipara, violating international border law. Protests by locals and BGB intervention halted the work on January 11, but the BSF had already completed 250 meters of fencing, BGB and locals told this correspondent.

Since then, locals have demanded the removal of the fence, but instead, glass bottles were hung on it on January 15, adding to their fears.

“The hanging bottles and increased BSF patrols have left us worried,” Mahir Uddin, 65, a local farmer told this correspondent.

“The BSF could resume the construction anytime, and we live in fear, especially at night,” he added.

Shariful Islam, 55, a businessman, told This correspondent, “The Tinbigha Corridor is our lifeline. With the increased BSF patrols and these glass bottles on the fence, we feel like our freedom is being encroached upon.”

BGB official Amir Khasru added that both countries are bound by agreements to avoid constructing structures within 150 yards of the zero line until decisions are finalised at a high-level BGB-BSF meeting.