S.M. Saiful Islam Kabir, Sundarbans

To strengthen surveillance and combat crimes in the riverine border areas of the world heritage Sundarbans, Lieutenant General (Retd.) Mohammad Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Adviser to the Ministry of Home Affairs, has inaugurated the ‘Boising Floating BOP’ (Border Observation Post) on Saturday  morning at  the mouth of the Raymangal River and Boising Canal near the Bangladesh-India riverine border in Shyamnagar upazila of Satkhira district, adjacent to the Sundarbans. 

Director General of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Major General Mohammad Ashraful Azam Siddiqui, was present at the ceremony.

In his inaugural speech, the Home Affairs Adviser said,  due to the Sundarbans' vast riverine terrain, regular land patrols are often challenging. This floating BOP will now enable swift and effective responses to crimes such as smuggling, human trafficking, and illegal extraction of forest resources.

He added that out of the total 4,156 kilometers of the Bangladesh-India border, around 180 kilometers are riverine, with 79 kilometers running through the Sundarbans. The new floating BOP will significantly enhance BGB’s surveillance capabilities in this area.

This is the third floating BOP to be established in the Sundarbans. Previously, two similar posts were set up in the Kachikata and Atharobeki channels. With the opening of the Boising BOP, riverine border security will be further strengthened, stated the BGB Director General.

Commenting on recent “push-in” incidents along the country’s northeastern and southwestern borders, the BGB Director General said, “Such incidents have been reported in Sylhet, Kurigram, and the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Our borders are vast and remote, but our personnel are doing their best to prevent these unauthorized entries.”

He further stated, “If any Bangladeshi citizens are to be repatriated from India, it must be done through proper diplomatic procedures. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and BGB are working jointly in this regard.”

The inauguration ceremony was attended by senior officials from BGB headquarters, the Commander of Jessore Region, the Sector Commander of Khulna, the Commanding Officer of the Nildumur Battalion, the Commander of the RBG Company, along with other BGB personnel and members of the print and electronic media.