Bangladesh and India should have a highly developed border management system to manage and control crimes and criminal activities, enabling the legal movement of people and goods, said former Indian diplomat Pankaj Saran, describing the killings along the Bangladesh-India border as ‘unfortunate’.

“I don't know what to say, it's unfortunate. These things should not happen at all….. We should be honest with ourselves as to why this is happening. The actions and remedies for this lie on both sides - the Bangladesh authorities and Indian authorities,” said Pankaj, Convenor of NatStrat, a Delhi-based independent centre for research on strategic and security issues.

During an interaction with a Bangladeshi media delegation at the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service in New Delhi recently, the former Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh said many protocols have been signed and agreements have been reached between the border forces and the two governments on the issue of managing the border effectively.

“I would say that we should just continue with those efforts. No one will tell you from an official point of view, but the real fact is, and it's unfortunate that a lot of the economy around the border is illegal,” said Pankaj, noting that this leads to a ‘very dangerous mix’ of smuggling, weapons, and crimes and that innocent people are getting caught up in it.

The expert, who served as India’s Ambassador to Russia and as Head of the Northern Division in the Ministry of External Affairs dealing with Nepal and Bhutan, said the two countries - Bangladesh and India - have to find a logical way forward, and the first step is to ensure that the relationship between the border guarding forces remains cordial.

“They have the ability to pick up the phone and sort out issues. We cannot go back to the old past where the relationship between the border guarding forces was suspicious….that is not going to help in the resolution of the problem,” said the former diplomat with 40  years of experience in foreign, strategic and national security affairs, highlighting the importance of using better technologies, communication, cooperation, and understanding on both sides.

Border Security Force (BSF) interacts with Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) at various levels as per the Joint India-Bangladesh Guidelines-1975, an official told UNB.

Ain o Salish Kendra, a rights organization, says at least 34 Bangladeshis were killed by the BSF in 2025, including 24 in shootings and 10 allegedly due to physical torture. At least 38 others were also injured.

This year, at least five Bangladeshis have been killed by the BSF till May, including three in shootings and two allegedly due to physical torture, while four others were injured.

There is active cooperation among various agencies of both countries working together on police matters, anti-corruption activities, and combating issues such as illicit drug trafficking, fake currency, and human trafficking, among others.

Officials said peaceful and cooperative management mechanisms for the security of the 4,096-km-long international border are actively focused on border fencing, joint inspection of boundary pillars, and joint boundary demarcation, including riverine boundaries, among others.

Other bilateral mechanisms, such as DG-level talks between border guarding forces and DG-level talks between nodal drug control agencies, including at the working level, are held regularly to discuss issues, exchange information, and engage in better coordination.

No Space for Extremist Ideologies

Responding to a question, Pankaj said they have to ensure that they work together in developing societies that are tolerant of each other and that do not give space to ‘extremist ideologies’ or allow terrorist organisations to operate freely without any oversight.

Highlighting the importance of joint efforts in dealing with issues like terrorism, extremism, radicalisation, illegal migration, and drug trafficking, he said India is basically concerned about not allowing any situation where the past repeats itself.

“And as I said, we have a common interest because of the situation in Myanmar. This is not only a threat to India; it's also a threat to Bangladesh because these regions are out of the control of any central authority,” said the Indian expert.

He said both Bangladesh and India have large populations and that jobs must be provided for them. “We have to provide employment to them. We have to educate them, and they can be misled very easily.”

On a question about Indian intelligence, Pankaj Saran said every country has an intelligence agency, and India is not the only one. He said the job of every intelligence agency, by definition, is to protect the state and the nation.

“There is always, in every situation, unless you are at war with each other, cooperation between intelligence agencies among nations. Even though you may not be the best of friends, there is always….there is a culture and tradition among intelligence agencies of speaking to each other and cooperating with each other,” said the former diplomat, adding that the job of an intelligence agency is to try to bridge gaps and bring countries together when all other channels of communication have broken down.

“I think we have to be more mature about it….more realistic about looking at these reports and how much of it is true. Some of it could also be a narrative built by India's enemies,” he added.

Pankaj said if India has to gather intelligence about Bangladesh, it is very easy to do so. “We understand each other. I don't need an intelligence agent to understand you. You don't need an intelligence agent to understand my country. You know my country perhaps better than I do.”