India Considers Using Snakes and Crocodiles Along Border with Bangladesh
JAKARTA - India is considering deploying snakes and crocodiles along its border with Bangladesh to prevent what the Border Security Force (BSF) claims are illegal crossings.
Senior Border Security Force officer Manoj Barnwal told AFP that the "use of reptiles" was discussed in a February meeting with the Home Ministry.
"We have been asked to explore the feasibility of deploying reptiles such as snakes or crocodiles in vulnerable river gaps," said Barnwal, deputy inspector general of the paramilitary force based in Kolkata, near the border with Bangladesh, as reported by Daily Sabah from AFP (10/4).
"This plan is centered on the use of natural repellents such as crocodiles and snakes in flood-prone areas, along areas without fences where traditional fences are not effective or not possible," he added.
The border between India and Bangladesh divides the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest.
Bangladesh is almost entirely surrounded by India and its border stretches more than 4,000 kilometers (2,485 miles), much of it unfenced in the delta region where Himalayan rivers flow into the sea.
"This is an innovative step, but there are some challenges and concerns about safety," Barnawl explained.
"How do we get the reptiles? What is the impact on people in villages along the river border?" he continued.
"We have asked our field units to study the feasibility of this approach and submit a report as soon as possible," he added.
It is known that relations between New Delhi and Dhaka deteriorated after the 2024 uprising in Dhaka that ousted then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India.
Bangladesh's Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman was in New Delhi on Wednesday - the most senior ambassador from Dhaka to visit since the 2024 uprising - in a bid to rebuild frosty diplomatic ties.
India itself has built a border fence along hundreds of kilometers and arrested dozens of Bangladeshi citizens who tried to cross the border, after the overthrow of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2024.
The Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has long been known to have a hardline stance on immigration issues, particularly from neighboring Bangladesh, which is majority Muslim.
Indian officials have referred to migrants as "termites" and "invaders."
On the other hand, human rights groups have accused India of also pushing hundreds of Bengali-speaking Muslims into Bangladesh without proper legal processes.