West Bengal rights group raises concerns over India-Bangladesh border fencing

By A Representative

Human rights organization Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM) has expressed strong concern over the ongoing fencing work along the India–Bangladesh border, warning that it could displace millions of villagers and cut them off from their land.

The group’s statement came a day after Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai told the Rajya Sabha that fencing was necessary to address infiltration issues along the border. MASUM described the minister’s remarks as “unrealistic and naïve,” pointing to a 2017 Parliamentary Standing Committee report that recommended urgent measures for residents of villages situated directly along the border.

According to MASUM, fencing in several areas has been constructed 5–6 kilometers inside Indian territory, effectively separating farmers from their agricultural land. The organization estimated that around 20–30 lakh people living in villages near the international border could be directly affected.

“When the question of fencing arises, it is not merely about land acquisition, but about the safety, security, dignity and rights of Indian citizens who live in these border villages,” said Kirity Roy, Secretary of MASUM. “If such lands are required in the national interest, the government must come forward with a clear and transparent proposal for compensation, rehabilitation and resettlement.”

The group noted that thousands of petitions submitted by affected villagers to district, state and central authorities, as well as to human rights institutions, have gone largely unanswered. MASUM also stressed that building fencing on fertile and cultivable lands amounts to an irreparable loss for farmers, warning that such policies are forcing people into distress migration.

The statement urged both the Government of India and the Government of West Bengal to address the concerns of border residents. “We strongly urge the authorities to think about those people who have elected you,” Roy said.

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