At the Dahagram border in Patgram, Lalmonirhat, the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) has hung glass bottles on the barbed-wire fence erected right at the zero line, disregarding international norms.
Six days after the installation of the fence, on Wednesday, the BSF tied empty glass bottles with wires, spacing them 4-5 yards apart along the fence.
This new development has instilled fresh fear among local residents.
Earlier, on January 10, BSF erected a barbed-wire fence approximately one kilometre long at the zero line of the border, using iron angles to secure the posts.
The fence was installed at the edge of the zero line, spanning from sub-pillar 37 to 46 under main pillar DMP 8 in the Governmentpara area of Dahagram union, Lalmonirhat.
According to the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and local sources, around noon on Wednesday, 10-12 BSF personnel from the Karun camp of the 6 Raninagar BSF Battalion in West Bengal's Cooch Behar district approached the newly built fence.
They tied 8 to 10-inch empty glass bottles to the barbed wires using galvanized iron wires.
Upon seeing this, locals alerted the BGB.
When members of the BGB's patrol team from the Dahagram-Angarpota camp reached the scene and objected to the hanging of the bottles, the BSF personnel ignored the request and continued their work.
The installation of the fence itself had already caused anxiety among the locals.
Jabbar Ali, a resident of Dahagram’s Governmentpara area, told the media: "India has erected the barbed-wire fence right at the zero line, disrupting our movement. We are living in fear. Now they have hung bottles on the fence, making us worry about whether they might have put something inside the bottles."
Commenting on the situation, Lt. Col Selim Al Din, commander of the 51st BGB Battalion, said: "This is not a new installation. The bottles have been hung to protect the fence. They are worried about someone stealing or tampering with the fence at night, so they added this protection."
Meanwhile, a BSF officer said: "If someone tries to cut or tamper with the fence, the glass bottles will make a noise or fall and break. The sound will alert nearby BSF guards, especially at night, making it an effective measure to enhance vigilance in the dark."