'Bangladeshis Coming at Night to Steal Crops': Locals Blame Mamata Govt for India-Bangladesh Border Fencing Delay

Locals along the India-Bangladesh border have complained that delays in installing barbed wire fencing are harming them. Residents of the region say their crops are being stolen by Bangladeshis who cross over at night and access their land. They added that fencing work has been pending for two years, with no significant progress made so far.

A local said, "The barbed wire fencing in our area has not been completed yet. The land has been measured, but neither has the money been paid nor has the land been acquired. Every person here is willing to give their land for it. This has been going on for the last 2–3 years. We are ready to give our lands for the security of the country. People from Bangladesh come over and torture us. They take away the grains and vegetables we grow in the fields. But once the fencing is done, we will be secure."

Another local said, "We have land in the border area. Our land has been taken by the state government for fencing. We are ready for the fencing as well, even though they will take the land. We thought we would buy land nearby after this, but now our problem is that the state government has held our land for so long that we can't use it for farming. Once, they came for measurement while we were farming and completely destroyed the area and the crops. We got nothing compared to what we lost. I want to request the state government to quickly complete the fencing."

He added, "We are poor people. If the fencing is done, the people from Bangladesh won't be able to come here and loot our crops. These days we use machines for cutting crops, so we cannot take everything with us at night. We cover them and leave them in the fields. These Bangladeshis come and steal everything. This is our main problem—we want the fencing to be done as quickly as possible. If the fencing is completed, we will get rid of these issues. They come, measure the land, and go, but they never tell us when the fencing will actually be done. It's been two years. Nothing has happened."

This comes after the Calcutta High Court directed the West Bengal government to hand over already acquired land in nine border districts to the Border Security Force (BSF) by March 31, 2026, for fencing along the India-Bangladesh border. The bench, led by Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen, emphasized that delays due to administrative processes or other excuses (like Special Intensive Revision) will not be tolerated, as the issue concerns national security.

The order came in a PIL filed by Lt Gen (Retd) Dr Subrata Saha, highlighting large unfenced stretches of the 4,096.7 km India-Bangladesh border, with West Bengal sharing a significant portion.

The court categorized the land issues:

-For land already acquired/purchased with compensation accepted: Handover to BSF by March 31, 2026, without delay.
-For ongoing acquisition/purchase: State must file an Action Taken Report and complete by the same deadline.
-For fresh acquisitions: No directions yet; the court will examine applicability of Section 40 of the 2013 Land Acquisition Act later.

The court clarified it has not halted fencing but is enforcing completion of initiated processes. Interim relief was partly disposed, with the state and Centre directed to file counter affidavits within three weeks. The matter is listed for April 2, 2026.

BJP leaders, including Amit Malviya, welcomed the order, claiming it ends the Mamata Banerjee government's alleged stalling of border fencing for political reasons, prioritizing national security over delays. The Centre has long flagged land handover issues as a key hurdle for securing the eastern border.

Also Read: Spotlight on Defence Budget 2026: Why It's Poised for a Major Boost Amid Rising Security Needs?