Months after Sheikh Hasina fled, a sense of unease at the Tripura-Bangladesh border

Agartala: Tripura shares an 856-kilometer-long land border with Bangladesh, which had always been seen as a friendly country until August 5, 2024. On that historic day, Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country, marking a fresh dent in India-Bangladesh relations. In the last four months, international exchanges between both countries have created an impression that the longstanding friendship between the neighbours has gradually run out of steam. 

Tripura, being a border state encircled by Bangladesh on three sides, finds itself in the hotspot. The state witnessed spontaneous protests against reports of attacks on minority Hindus, the arrest of an ex-ISKCON monk, and the anti-India sentiment running thick and fast in the neighboring country. 

The borders are already porous, and infiltration from Bangladesh is a real threat. However, one area where the status quo has been maintained despite deteriorating bilateral ties is the cross-border smuggling of goods. Recent incidents of BSF personnel being heckled by a group of smugglers at the international borders hogged national limelight. But in reality, these incidents are not new across the India-Bangladesh border in Tripura. 

On January 7, 2024, the BSF personnel posted at Maguruli village in Kailashahar under Unakoti District noticed sugar sacks being transported from the Indian side of the border to Bangladesh. 

The BSF troopers promptly responded and chased the smugglers. At a certain place, the smugglers outnumbered the troopers and retaliated. A viral video showed that the smugglers were wielding brickbats and sticks. In order to disperse the mob, BSF soldiers fired one round using a non-lethal pump-action gun. The firing led to no injuries, but the situation was aggravated. 

Peeved at the BSF’s move, the smugglers tried to snatch the rifle of a BSF trooper. They also approached the Border Guards of Bangladesh post. The BGB troopers were called, and the tension escalated.

On January 8, the higher officials of both border-guarding forces held a flag meeting, and the situation was amicably resolved. The BSF, which is known for issuing press statements for every development at the borders, maintained a conspicuous silence on the issue and did not respond to the calls made by media personnel.

Two days ago, a similar incident occurred at Rahimpura, an area infamous for cross-border smuggling in the Sepahijala district. This time, the locals alleged that the BSF troopers, in an inebriated condition, went on a rampage in the area when a Muslim religious congregation was underway. 

The BSF troopers allegedly fired rubber bullets at a 17-year-old minor identified as Imon Hossain. Another girl, identified as Nasima Akhter, had her hand fractured as BSF troopers thrashed her during a search operation in her house. Both were hospitalized and later referred to Tripura Medical College, Agartala. The shop of one Pranab Sutradhar was also razed during the BSF operation.

The families of the injured persons alleged that the BSF-sponsored atrocities on the bordering population are at an all-time high. They are extremely ruthless and don’t have the patience to listen to common people.

The BSF, however, issued a statement and dismissed all the allegations leveled against it. According to the BSF, all the allegations are “baseless,” and Imon Hossain is a notorious smuggler in the area.

“Confrontation between BSF and smugglers in areas that are considered to be smuggling zones in Tripura is not a new thing. As long as cross-border smuggling continues, there will be such confrontations,” a senior official of the BSF informed EastMojo.

When asked about the core reason behind these malpractices, the BSF official said, “Doesn’t matter how much deployment you do; if the local population stands with the smugglers, no agency can stop that. It doesn’t mean everyone is bad, but by compulsion, people have to support these activities either for pecuniary benefits or under the influence of powerful people.”

Smuggling as a socio-economic issue:

Tripura borders are not known for being traditionally used for cross-border smuggling of arms, ammunition, and illicit drugs. Cases of petty smuggling are much higher across these borders, and goods such as garments, sugar, etc., are illegally transported. In recent years, there has been a spike in the smuggling of contraband like addictive pills, ganja, and banned cough syrups.

Speaking on the issue, a social activist from the Boxanagar area, Eliaz Hossain, explained that the only way to stop smuggling is through education.

“The areas where smuggling is the main source of income have extremely low literacy rates. People get involved in those activities at a very tender age for easy money, and when money comes into someone’s hands, education takes a back seat. This is how the dropout numbers are gradually increasing in those areas. When these people are educated and capable of getting jobs and accommodated in other professions, illegal activities will gradually die down,” said Hossain, a teacher in a private school in Boxanagar, to EastMojo.

Apart from that, the absence of alternative livelihood options and political backing for such practices are also major reasons smuggling has flourished in some parts of Tripura.

Infiltration

Apart from smuggling, infiltration has emerged as the biggest security concern for Tripura. In the recently held 72nd plenary session of the North East Council, Union Home Minister Amit Shah reportedly acknowledged the issue and emphasized securing the borders. 

According to official data from the BSF, till November 2024, as many as 675 illegal immigrants were detained at the Tripura borders, including 55 Rohingyas. In addition, 260 Indian nationals had also been detained for their illegal activities.

The break-up of the data showed that 345 of the Bangladeshi nationals entered India after August. Even as the exact religious data of the Bangladeshi nationals is not available with EastMojo, BSF sources said a substantial number of the Bangladeshis detained after August belonged to the Hindu community.

Even recently, a Muslim family was pushed back from Tripura after a flag meeting with BGB in the Simna area under the West Tripura district. A similar incident was reported on January 8 when three Tripura youths were detained in Bangladesh, and they were pushed back to India through Madhupur in the Sepahijala district.

Trade Under Stress

As far as trade is concerned, Bangladesh appears to be playing a dominant role in cross-border trade through the Akhaura Integrated Check Post (ICP), managed by the Land Port Authority of India (LPAI).

On the other hand, Indian exports to the neighbouring country have fallen sharply. Since the beginning of this financial year, Bangladesh has exported goods worth Rs 179.88 crore, while India has exported practically nothing.

The average monthly value of imports from the Bangladesh side stands at Rs 22.375 crore. The highest trade was reported in the month of November when goods worth Rs 37.79 crore were sent to India.

The lowest, Rs 13.56 crore, was in August. It should be noted that August is the month when political upheaval struck Bangladesh. But, in the later months, Bangladesh’s exports increased substantially.

In September, Bangladesh sent goods worth Rs 21.64 crore. In October, it increased to Rs 24.88 crore, and in November, it jumped to Rs 37.79 crore. From the Indian side, only one goods-carrying vehicle entered Bangladesh, and the authorities are not really aware of how much the Indian exporter earned through this maiden consignment.

When contacted, an office bearer of the Indian-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce, a noted trade body created to facilitate cross-border trade, said no one from their body was officially willing to make any comments.

According to the recent Economic Review of Tripura book, Bangladesh’s upper hand in trade through Tripura borders becomes more visible. In 2022-2023, the total trade volume through the six land custom stations, including the Akhaura Integrated Check Post, stood at Rs 758.09 crore, out of which Bangladesh exported goods worth Rs 636.72 crore, while the value of Indian exports to Bangladesh stood at Rs 121.37 crore.

The goods imported through Tripura include fish, LPG, cement, MS rods, food items, steel sheets, PVP pipes, readymade garments, melamine, etc. The goods India sends to Bangladesh include wheat, cumin seeds, agarbatti, citrus fruits, onions, maize, vegetable seeds, broken stones, wood apples, spice powder, etc.

It should be mentioned here that Tripura’s homegrown products, like rubber and tea, have no direct access to the Bangladesh market because of the huge excise duty charged by the Bangladesh government.

And now, the North East may lose access to the Chittagong port as well, with new dynamics in bilateral ties coming into play.

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