India's 'Berlin Wall'- The World's Next Vicious Border Dispute

"  Only with diplomacy and humility can we cure the ailments of our foolishly divided and hostile world"

          The 1,790 mile fence that divides India and Bangladesh has been a cause for concern as tensions rise over the aggressiveness of Indian security forces who patrol the barbed wire fortress. The wall that has taken over 25 years to build has separated the once friendly nations and has led to approximately 1,000 deaths per year according to the Bangladeshi government. 
          In January of 2011 a woman named Felani Islam was shot and killed while trying to cross the border from India into Bangladesh. She was attempting to attend her wedding that was being held in her family's ancestral village just a few miles beyond the fence. Her body was left dangling from the barbed wire for nearly 5 hours before being taken down by Indian security forces. The tragedy of 15 year old Felani's death has led Bangladeshi politicians to demand that Indian security forces switch to nonlethal weaponry, but calls for this disarmament still haven't been taken seriously by New Delhi. 

        It wasn't always like this though. Bangladesh and India have a common history and an intertwining bond that has lasted for over a quarter of a century. After the partition of India in 1947, the area of Bangladesh was the eastern region of Pakistan. Insurgents in the eastern region began calling for independence from the newly formed state due to ethnic and social divisions. Shortly after western Pakistani military forces launched an assault on students, armed security forces, and political dissidents who demanded independence for eastern Pakistan, sparking a bloody war that led to the creation of the Bengali liberation army, and the deaths of tens of thousands of people. Backed up by Indian economic aid, military support, and diplomatic engagement, the western Pakistani forces surrendered in 1971, leading to the creation of the country that is now known as Bangladesh.

Indian border guards patrolling the barbed wire fortress

        Since then relations between the two countries have remained generally positive, but the wall is deteriorating this just as quickly as it's being erected. The wall that was designed to ensure the security of India from Muslim extremists, an influx of illegal immigrants, and the chance of huge waves of refugees flooding India from the climate disaster prone country of Bangladesh has actually worsened security and has damaged political relations between the two countries. It is said that over 20 million illegal Bangladeshi immigrants currently reside in India despite the 1,790 mile fence that covers almost the entire border between Bangladesh and India.
        Bribery is common among border villages, as immigrant smugglers called 'linemen' pay off border guards for safe passage of thousands of immigrants daily. Those that are caught by Indian security forces usually meet cruel ends. Claims of torture, indiscriminate killing, and outright abuse of human rights have led international organizations like the Human Rights Watch to release reports condemning the abuse perpetrated by Indian border guards.

       After Felani's death Indian officials agreed to disarm the border guards. For the first time since 2000, a whole month went by without a single death claimed. Only after a short while, the policy of disarmament was abandoned, and in April New Delhi decided to rearm the guards. This has resulted in more deaths of innocent civilians, some who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

       Border disputes and fortifications have led to declining relations among neighboring countries around the world. The Berlin Wall stood as a testament to the divide between capitalism and communism, and when it fell the world felt that it started anew. The on going conflict between Palestine and Israel has only worsened as settlements being built by Israeli settlers encroach on Palestinian land, hindering both compromise and progress between the two governments.         
        Only with diplomacy and humility can India cure the ailments of the now foolishly divided countries. India must begin the process of making amends for the indiscriminate killing of so many of Bangladesh's innocent civilians. If India and Bangladesh can't begin this process of detente, we will see a policy of self destruction that could ultimately lead Bangladesh to jump into the arms of Pakistan in their efforts to ward off Indian aggression. That kind of dilemma can't be blocked off by a wall armed with border guards either.

Signing out- John Thomas

Sources

Foreign Policy- "Fortress India", Scott Carney, July/August 2011