The number of cows smuggled in the Bengal-Bangladesh route has dropped from 29,000 to 5400, thanks to the BSF and increased vigilance

In a positive development, there has been a remarkable decline in the number of cattle heads seized by India’s Border Security Force (BSF) in 2020 along the Indo-Bangladesh border. The sizable drop as compared to 2019 comes in the backdrop of heightened vigilance by India’s first line of defence along the largely-riverine and highly porous border with Bangladesh. Of course, the COVID-19-induced lockdown in both India as well as Bangladesh too had its effect in the decline of cattle smuggling, but it would be grossly unfair to say that the lockdown was a major reason for the declining numbers.

Criminals seldom care about law-and-order guidelines, and would have not bothered about lockdown rules too. Therefore, a major portion of the credit lies with the BSF for enhancing its border patrols and vigilance along the most exposed and complex border which India has with any country. According to data shared by the South Bengal Frontier of the BSF, the border guarding forces seized about 5,449 cattle heads in the year 2020, and that is significantly lower than the number of cattle heads seized in 2019, which stood at 29,720, the Hindu reported.

Inspector General South Bengal Frontier, BSF, Ashwini Kumar Singh, said the India-Bangladesh border is one of the most challenging borders of world. “It is a very complex border as population resides on either side of the border in close proximity and have same ethnic and cultural similarities which makes it porous and pose a serious challenge for our men guarding the border,” a press statement issued by the BSF stated.

It must be remembered that the BSF operates along the Indo-Bangladesh border with great hardships, due to the absence of landmarks defining the border and rivers and streams acting as natural borders instead. Further, the language and physiognomic similarities between Bangladeshi and Indians living in West Bengal’s bordering areas makes it difficult for the security force to tell one from another.

Meanwhile, the number of apprehensions made by the BSF of Bangladeshi nationals has increased, again speaking volumes about enhanced vigilance along the Indo-Bangladesh borders. The number of apprehensions increased from 2,175 Bangladeshi nationals in 2019 to 3,060 persons in 2020. BSF also revealed that more arrests were made when Bangladeshi nationals were crossing over from India to Bangladesh than from Bangladesh to India. The Hindu reported that the Citizenship Amendment Act was a possible reason for increased number of Bangladeshis returning to their country from India.

The price of cattle jumps from roughly Tk 60,000 to Tk 1,50,000 upon crossing the border into Bangladesh, which makes smuggling a lucrative career option for many. India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is currently investigating links between cattle smugglers and a section of officers in the Bengal administration, border guarding forces and political higher-ups in the ruling Trinamool Congress. Despite all hardships, that the BSF has been able to drastically reduce cattle smuggling along the borders is a remarkable feat.