Angrail(West Bengal)

BSF has initiated unique measures to check rampant smuggling of cattle across the Indo-Bangla border by digging deep ditches and welding metal pipes to the border fence, an effort which has led to 90 per cent decrease in the crime this year.

The border guarding force, over the last five months, has plugged some of the most vulnerable patches of this 4,096-km border by not only increasing troop strength but also providing them with more weapons, vehicles and a fresh fleet of fast attack motorboats to patrol riverine areas.

BSF officers deployed in this “most notorious and vulnerable” frontier area for cattle smuggling under the South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal say after the new measures were initiated early this year, the instances and threat of smugglers attacking patrol parties has increased.

“We have put some innovative techniques to control cattle smuggling menace in these areas. While about 20 metre wide trenches have been dug just for almost 21-kms just behind the international border, GI pipes have been welded to existing metal fence as its barbed wire had already been cut by smugglers,” BSF commanding officer of the area Barjender Singh said.

The village of Angrail made news in April this year after Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh complimented BSF troops at this border post for cracking down on smugglers. The minister had asked them to further choke and bring a complete halt on this activity.

Angrail has a unique topography of being a thumb-shaped land mass surrounded from three sides by the Icchamati river which flows into both the countries.

The new measures to check cattle smuggling have brought good results, officers say.

“Cattle smuggling instances have gone down by over 90 per cent this year in our frontier. This frontier constitutes for 80 per cent of this illegal activity comprising districts of North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Nadia, Murshidabad and Malda,” BSF Inspector General (South Bengal Frontier) Sandeep Salunke told a visiting group of journalists at his headquarters in Kolkata.

These innovative and low cost solutions like digging ditches and improvising fence security by welding GI pipes about 2-feet above the ground, Salunke said, has “shown very good results” in checking the illegal activity.

BSF officials cited local intelligence and Bangladesh media reports to say that prices of beef in the neighbouring country has shot up by double in the last few months.

“The earnings in Bangladesh through this illegal trade was about Rs 30 crore during the first five months of 2014 and in the corresponding period this year, the figures are just Rs 5 crore,” officials said citing latest data.

Salunke, who has asked his force commanders to tour these areas more often in the light of the government’s new action plan, said the force has begun noticing some renewed incidents of violence against its troops due to “desperation” brewing amongst smugglers.

“There has been serious and grave provocation from the smugglers to our troops…it’s a huge challenge for our troops to operate here. Almost every day we are getting attacked when smugglers or their associates are challenged. 40 of my men on border duty have been injured seriously or very seriously while two have been killed in this pursuit till now in 2015,” the IG said.

He said over 32,000 cattle have been seized and stopped from being crossed over this year by the BSF in this sector.

Force commanders at various locations along the Indo-Bangla border like Gojadanga, Hakimpura, Panitar and Angrail told PTI that not only the force strength has been bolstered, troops have been provided with additional assortment of non-lethal weapons, stun and chilli grenades and communication gadgets to not only stop smugglers but also apprehend them quickly.

“The operational strengths of BSF companies located along the notorious areas of this border have been enhanced to 90 personnel from the earlier about 70. Also, three fast attack patrol boats have been deployed along the riverine areas of Icchamati river to keep a check on smugglers who especially get active during night,” a senior BSF commander said.

A new base camp and jetty along this river has been created by the BSF in this area where night water patrols are a norm now.

During his tour to the area, Rajnath was taken by the BSF to see the riverine front which has as many as 150 “exit points” from the river bank in just an area of 2-kms exploited by smugglers to push cattle across.

IG Salunke said the futuristic need of this border is to have a ‘smart fence’ based on satellite data and imagery as the 915.88-km long South Bengal frontier has 384-km border as riverine and cultivation and habitation is right upto, and at few locations, inside the zero line of the international border making matters worse for the BSF to check on border crimes.

PTI