BSF to lodge protest with Bangladesh over cross-border sugar smuggling

Shillong: The Border Security Force (BSF) will send a formal complaint to their Bangladeshi counterparts regarding repeated incidents of cross-border infiltration by Bangladeshi nationals involved in smuggling sugar in and from Meghalaya.

According to a BSF statement, a group of 30-35 Bangladeshi smugglers, aided by local Indian villagers, infiltrated Indian territory near the unfenced Border Outpost (BOP) Kuliang village on Thursday night. Their aim was to collect illegal sugar shipments from the Indian villagers.

During the pursuit by BSF personnel, the smugglers and some local villagers threw stones at the security forces.

The BSF highlighted the vulnerability of the Kuliang area due to its proximity to the border and the lack of fencing. This creates opportunities for smuggling activities, especially exploiting bad weather conditions.

The BSF statement claimed that since January 2024, their troops in the Kuliang area have seized over 100,000 kgs of sugar, effectively curbing significant cross-border smuggling attempts.

The BSF has urged local residents in border areas to cooperate by refraining from illegal activities and assisting Bangladeshi smugglers. The statement also expressed concern over the "routine" confrontations faced by BSF personnel from Indian villagers engaged in smuggling, while the BSF attempts to fulfil their duty of preventing illegal cross-border activities.