Crime Dynamics At The Indo-bangladesh Border In West Bengal

The porosity of the Indo-Bangladesh border permeates several outlawed activities like illegal infiltration, human trafficking, smuggling of gold, illegal cattle trade, circulation of counterfeit currency, narcotics trade and robbery.

- Shahana Banerjee

For almost three decades now, India has spent a significant sum of money on the construction of a barbed wire fence along the 4,096 kilometre border that it shares with Bangladesh. Each year, the government spends several hundred crores in maintaining and manning this fence. The attempt that was largely intended to curb infiltration, movement of militants, and ensure enhanced management of the Indo-Bangladesh border, hasn’t been very effective. Not being fully demarcated on the ground, the fencing in many places cuts through rivers, agricultural lands, mountains, and public institutions and has resulted in the emergence of many enclaves.

The border-fencing near the districts of West Bengal is largely obstructed by legal hassles of land acquisition and by the fact that almost 30% of the border is riverine. Hence, only 60% of the 2,216.7 kilometre border that runs along the districts of North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur, Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, and South 24 Parganas of West Bengal has been properly fenced so far.

The latest Census figures of 2011 show that the demography of almost six border districts of West Bengal have dramatically changed because of illegal migration. The average population growth rate of West Bengal after every Census is over 20%, and the figures are abnormally high in the districts bordering Bangladesh namely North Dinajpur (34%), North 24 Parganas (31.69%), South 24 Parganas (30.24%), Nadia (29.95%), and Murshidabad (28.20%).