BSF gets 5k body cameras, biometrics capturing devices for Bangladesh border

New Delhi: More than 5,000 body-worn cameras are being provided to Border Security Force troops guarding the India-Bangladesh international border as part of a measure to record visuals and evidence of deporting illegal Bangladeshis apart from instances of criminals attacking the personnel on duty.

Official sources in the security establishment told PTI that a select number of border outposts (BOPs) of the force along the 4,096 kms front are also being equipped with gadgets to capture biometrics like finger prints and iris (eyes) scan of illegal Bangladeshis for sharing this data to the Foreigners Registration Office (FRO).

The two policy decisions to bolster BSF capabilities at this front have been taken in the wake of the stepped up security arrangements along the border following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh on August 5, 2024.

The sources said the Union home ministry recently approved these two proposals of the BSF headquarters following a "comprehensive review" of the security situation along the Bangladesh border.

About 5,000 body-worn cameras are being sent in two batches to BSF troops guarding the India-Bangladesh international border. These cameras are night-vision enabled and can record about 12-14 hours of footage, the sources said.

The cameras will be helpful in recording the facts and evidence when BSF troops deport illegal Bangladeshis or engage with miscreants to stop cross-border crimes like drugs, cattle and fake Indian currency notes (FICN) smuggling apart from human trafficking and infiltration, they said.

The recordings will also act as evidence in cases where BSF troops are attacked by criminals from both the countries, the sources said.

Bangladesh and its force Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has been claiming at bilateral forums that their nationals are being killed by the Indian side using extraordinary force and in an unjustified manner while the BSF has always maintained it opens non-lethal or lethal fire as a last resort to save the life of the troopers, the sources said.

These instances will be recorded now by these body-worn cameras and act as proof when required for an investigation, they said.

The sources said some select and "vulnerable" BSF BOPs from the point of view of cross-border infiltration are also being installed with biometrics data recording machines that will capture the fingerprints and eye scans of illegal Bangladeshis caught by the BSF on this front.

This biometric data will be shared with the FRO to create an evidence-based database against infiltrators and illegal Bangladeshis trying to sneak into India, they said.

The Union home ministry, post the Pahalgam terror attack, has asked all states to check and deport illegal Bangladeshis living in their jurisdictions.

As per official data, the BSF, till July 15 this year, has apprehended 1,372 Bangladeshis infiltrating into India from this front while it caught or was handed over by various state police forces over 3,536 such men and women while crossing over from India to the other side.

The recorded figures for last year were 2,425 (incoming) and 1,049 (outgoing).

As many as 77 instances of attack on BSF personnel by miscreants from both India and Bangladesh have been recorded last year at the border while 35 such incidents have been reported till June this year on this front, according to the data.