Border Guard Bangladesh (abbr. BGB; ) is a paramilitary force responsible for the border security of

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

. The BGB is entrusted with the responsibility to defend the border of

with

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

. It was formerly known as the Bangladesh Rifles (abbr. BDR; ). BGB boasts a military history spanning over two centuries. During peacetime, this force is also responsible for anti-smuggling operations, investigating cross border crime and extending governmental authority to remote and isolated areas. From time to time, BGB has also been called upon to assist the administration in the maintenance of internal law & order, relief and rehabilitation work after any kind of natural disaster. During wartime, BGB comes under the control of the Ministry of Defence as an auxiliary force to the Bangladesh Army.

History

Formation and pre-1947

Ramgarh Local Battalion

The Ramgarh Local Battalion was established on 29 June 1795 at the city of Ramgarh, consisting of 486 personnel, known as the "Frontier Protection Force", under the command of the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

. Later, the force was converted into a paramilitary unit with its own name (Ramgarh Local Battalion) and uniform. At that time its primary responsibility was to suppress insurgent activities around the Ramgarh area.

Special Reserve Company

During 1799, the force established its first camp at Pilkhana, where the headquarters remain to this day. The camp unit then was known as "Special Reserve Company".

Frontier Guards

The Ramgarh Local Battalion was renamed the "Frontier Guards", and remained so for thirty years from 1861 to 1891.

Bengal Military Police

From 1891 till 1920, the Frontier Guards were re-organized, equipped with modern weapons and renamed once again as the "Bengal Military Police". Commanded by a

Subedar Subedar ( ) is a military rank in the militaries of South Asia roughly equivalent to that of a warrant officer. Historically classed in the British Indian Army as a Viceroy's commissioned officer, the rank was retained in the Indian Army an ...

( Senior Warrant Officer), the BMP had four companies located in

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

, Dhumka and Gangtok. This force also participated in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Eastern Frontier Rifles

The BMP was reorganised yet once again and renamed the " Eastern Frontier Rifles" in 1920. Its primary task was to protect the borders. It also took part in numerous military operations during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

East Pakistan Rifles

After the

partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...

, the Eastern Frontier Rifles were reconstituted in 1949 with the name Eastern Pakistan Rifles. Their primary role was internal security, including assisting the police in maintaining law and order during emergencies. In this capacity in 1954, they were deployed in industrial areas after labour riots at the Karnaphuli Paper Mill and Adamjee Jute Mill. They were also tasked with interdicting smuggling from Eastern Pakistan to India. Despite some success, they were unable to rein in the illicit trade. In 1958, the force was reorganized as the East Pakistan Rifles (EPR). At this point anti-smuggling and border protection were formally added to their duties alongside internal security. That same year Major Tufail Mohammad of the EPR died in a border skirmish with Indian forces. For his action he was awarded the highest military award of Pakistan, ' Nishan-e-Haider'. During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, the EPR fought Indian forces successfully at Asalong, Mouja in the

Chittagong Hill Tracts The Chittagong Hill Tracts (), often shortened to simply the Hill Tracts and abbreviated to CHT, refers to the three hilly districts within the Chittagong Division in southeastern Bangladesh, bordering India and Myanmar (Burma) in the east: Kh ...

. The EPR were used to help police suppress the 1962 East Pakistan Education movement and the 1969 East Pakistan mass uprising, beating students and opening fire on them on several occasions. Bangladeshi Rifles training

Bangladesh War of Independence

During the Bangladesh War of Independence of 1971, nearly 9,000 members of the East Pakistan Rifles (EPR) turned against the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

following the Declaration of Independence of Bangladesh at Kalurghat Radio Station, Chittagong. Eight hundred and seventeen EPR personnel were subsequently reported killed in action. The East Pakistan Rifles were the border security and anti-smuggling force stationed in what was to become independent Bangladesh. It was commanded by Junior Commissioned Officers (JCO) at the company level. All EPR companies were based within of the international boundary. There were two senior commissioned officers, seconded from the Pakistan Army in command of each Wing (battalion) of the EPR. In March 1971, there were 12 EPR Wings. The entire force according to CIA estimates had 10,000 enlisted personnel. However, other sources claim that the EPR had 16 wings and 13,000 to 16,000 personnel. At the outbreak of the Bangladesh War, the EPR were the first Bengali military unit to defect from Pakistani forces; moving to Sholashahar and the main military cantonment, while calling on all Bengali soldiers to join them. Reportedly West Pakistani officers serving with the EPR were executed by their Bengali colleagues. On 26 March, the

sent troops to suppress the EPR but, pro-independence EPR members ambushed them, killing 72 Pakistani troops and wounding many but the Pakistanis encircled them. As a result, the EPR took heavy losses but managed to retreat.

Bangladesh Rifles

On 29 January 1972, the East Pakistan Rifles were renamed the Bangladesh Rifles with the officers seconded from Bangladesh Army. Bangladesh Rifles initially had 9 thousand personnel in 1971 which by 1973 had increased to 20 thousand. Bangladesh Rifles and Indian Border Security Forces exchanged fire near the Comilla-Tripura border throughout the entire month of November 1979. In 1996, Bangladesh Rifles personnel had grown to 67 thousand. BSF and BGB

2001 Bangladesh–India border clashes

The 2001 Indian–Bangladeshi border conflict took place in the third week of April 2001 between the Bangladesh Rifles and the Indian Border Security Force on the poorly marked international border between the two countries. This was the worst border conflict Bangladesh was involved in since Independence. The 16–19 April fighting took place around the village of Padua (known as Pyrdiwah in India), which adjoins the Indian state of

Meghalaya Meghalaya (; "the abode of clouds") is a states and union territories of India, state in northeast India. Its capital is Shillong. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the Assam: the United Khasi Hills an ...

and Timbil area of the Bangladesh border in Sylhet district. In that area, 6.5 kilometres of the border have remained in dispute for the past 30 years. The trigger for the clash appears to have been an attempt by Indian forces to construct a footpath from an army outpost in Padua across a disputed territory some 300 metres wide to Indian Meghalaya. On 15 April 2001, the BDR captured Pyrdiwah village. Both sides later deescalated and returned to the original positions on the border. This incident left 16 Indian Border Security Force paramilitary men dead and 3 Bangladesh Rifles men dead with 5 other BDR troops injured. On 19 April 2005, two BSF personnel were killed in an encounter with Bangladesh Rifles inside Bangladeshi territory. According to Bangladeshi sources, BSF personnel entered Bangladesh without uniforms and attacked a village. According to India, they were dragged into Bangladesh and knifed to death.

Pilkhana Massacre

On 25 February 2009, regular BDR soldiers mutinied against their officers who were seconded from the Bangladesh Army. The mutiny took place when senior commanders were in Dhaka for convocation or durbar. A total of 74 people were killed in the mutiny. Many senior officers were killed, including almost the entire higher echelon of the command structure – about 57 army officers who were present in the Bangladesh Rifles' headquarters in the capital Dhaka. These included the Director General of the BDR. The soldiers mutinied due to reasons which largely remain unknown, though resentment at officers being seconded from Bangladesh army and allegations of corruption are believed to have been among the causes. Dahgram BGB Check post sign

After 30 hours, being surrounded by Bangladesh Army tanks, the mutineers surrendered with about 6,000 of them taken under arrest, ending the mutiny. In November 2013, Bangladesh sentenced 152 mutineers from Bangladesh Rifles to death.

Border Guard Bangladesh

In the aftermath of the mutiny, the Border Guard Bangladesh Act was issued in 2010 and the Bangladesh Rifles was reorganised with new recruits. The force is still commanded by senior officers seconded from the Bangladesh Army. The Bangladesh Rifles have gone through some fundamental changes since 2010. It was officially renamed as the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) on 23 January 2011 and reorganised with fresh recruits, also formed their own intelligence unit. The Border Guard Bangladesh Act, 2010 increased the maximum punishment for mutiny from 7 years in jail to the death penalty. News reports in 2018 stated the BGB had "54,000 troopers". The 2020 edition of '' The Military Balance'' put the force's personnel strength at 38,000, organized in 54 battalions and one riverine company.

Bangladesh–Myanmar border skirmish in 2014

On 28 May 2014, during a routine patrol of the BGB in

Bandarban District Bandarban District (), officially Bandarban Hill District, is a district in South-Eastern Bangladesh, and a part of the Chittagong Division. It is one of the three hill districts of Bangladesh and a part of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, the others ...

, along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border, Myanmar Border Police began firing on the BGB patrol. The incident took the life of Border Guard Corporal Mizanur Rahman (43). The body of the slain soldier was then carried over the border by Myanmar Border Police. On 30 May upon request of the Myanmar Ambassador to Bangladesh, a BGB team was waiting near border pillar no. 52 for identification of the dead body which was proposed by the Myanmar side. However, to the complete surprise of the BGB, Myanmar border forces suddenly started firing on the waiting BGB team without any provocation resulting in the BGB team returning fire. Both sides deescalated and agreed to a cease fire and on the following day Myanmar returned the dead body of BGB Corporal Mizanur Rahman. Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs had protested strongly to the Burmese ambassador over the unprovoked eruption of gunfire by Burmese border troops.

Bangladesh–Arakan Army border clash 2015

On 26 August 2015, the Arakan Army, a separatist group in

, attacked a BGB patroller in Boro Modak, Thanchi, Bandarban. Two border guards were injured in the attack. On 11 May 2015, the BGB camp in Thanchi came under mortar fire, BGB retaliated by firing two rounds towards the border Indian BSF agreed to allow BGB to use BSF roads in

to patrol the border on 1 August 2016. On 15 November 2016, Border Guard Bangladesh stopped 86 Rohingyas from entering Bangladesh on two boats. On 6 February 2017, BGB protested with their counterparts in Myanmar Border Guard Police, after they shot and killed a Bangladeshi fisherman in the

Naf River The Naf River ( ''Naf Nodi'' ; ; ) is an international river marking part of the Bangladesh–Myanmar border, border of southeastern Bangladesh and northwestern Myanmar. Geography The Naf's average depth is , and maximum depth is . Its width ...

. BGB deployed its first female border guards on 24 February 2017 in the Dinajpur border area. BGB and Myanmar Police Force came to an agreement on 6 April 2017 to remove mines from the border area.

Women Guards

The force has female soldiers since 2016.

Decorations

The then-''East Pakistan Rifles'' joined the Bangladesh War of Independence on the side of Mukti Bahini in 1971. One hundred and forty one members earned gallantry awards for their outstanding contribution to the war of Bangladesh. Naik Nur Mohammad Sheikh and Naik Munshi Abdur Rouf posthumously earned the

Bir Sreshtho The Bir Sreshtho (; ), is the highest military award of Bangladesh. It was awarded to seven freedom fighters who showed utmost bravery and died in action for their nation. They are considered martyrs. The other three gallantry awards are named, ...

, which is the highest gallantry award of the nation. Birshrestha Noor Mohammad Public College an
Birshreshtha Munshi Abdur Rouf Public College
are educational institutions of the guards named after them. 8 earned the Bir Uttom. 40 earned the

Bir Bikram ''Bir Bikram'' () is a 2016 romantic comedy film directed by Milan Chams. This movie features Nepalese actors Dayahang Rai, Anoop Bikram Shahi, Deeya Pun, Arpan Thapa, Menuka Pun and Najir Hussain in the lead roles. The movie tells a story abo ...

and 91 earned the Bir Protik awards.

Medals

* Border Guard Bangladesh Padak (Bravery) * President Border Guard Padak (Bravery) * Border Guard Bangladesh Padak (Service) * President Border Guard Padak (Service) * Bangladesh_Rifles_Bi-centennial_Padak_Ribbon

Bangladesh_Rifles_Bi-centennial_Padak_Ribbon

Bi-Centennial Padak * Naf_Padak

Naf Padak After independence, on 3 March 1972, the force had been renamed as Bangladesh Rifles. As a mark of recognition for the courage and bravery of its members, BDR introduced ' Bangladesh Rifles Podok' in 1985 and President Rifles Podok' in 1989. 21 members had received the 'Bangladesh Rifles Podok' 29 had received the 'President Rifles Podok'.

Responsibilities

* Patrolling and securing the border * Investigating cross border crimes * Anti-smuggling Operations * Counter Terrorism * Domestic law enforcement during national emergencies * Acting as a reserve force under Ministry of Defence during war

Director Generals

Equipment

Rank structure

Superior officers Subordinate officers

Organization

The BGB is commanded by a Major General ranked Bangladesh Army officer. The BGB administration and most of the officer corps are trained and deputed from the Bangladesh Army. There are, however, around 100 officers who are promoted from within the force itself. They can be promoted as high as deputy director (equivalent to captain in Bangladesh Army). BGB is organised into a central headquarters and five regional headquarters. The regions of BGB are equivalent to

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

s and commanded by brigadier generals deputed from the Bangladesh Army. Under the regional headquarters, there are a total of 16 sectors. The sectors are commanded by

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

s. Under each sectors, there are multiple

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

s which are commanded by lieutenant colonels. A battalion has six rifle companies, one support company and one HQ company. Army officers of the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

command the companies and officers of the rank of

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

fill billets of battalion

second-in-command Second-in-command (2i/c or 2IC) is a title denoting that the holder of the title is the second-highest authority within a certain organisation. Usage In the British Army or Royal Marines, the second-in-command is the deputy commander of a unit, f ...

, adjutant, battalion intelligence officer and staff positions in Pilkhana HQ and the training establishments. However one-third of company commanders are promotee BGB officers holding the rank of assistant director (captain equivalent). This is the second-highest rank achievable for a BGB departmental officer. A

subedar Subedar ( ) is a military rank in the militaries of South Asia roughly equivalent to that of a warrant officer. Historically classed in the British Indian Army as a Viceroy's commissioned officer, the rank was retained in the Indian Army an ...

usually holds the responsibility of the company second-in-command and company quartermaster. Each company has four platoons and each platoon is led by a naib subedar, with a havildar as second-in-command. The highest rank for a promotee BGB soldiers, deputy director (major equivalent), fill the billets of battalion adjutant and battalion logistics officers. The subedar-major (lieutenant equivalent) similarly fills the billets of battalion subedar major (ceremonial post) and head Instructors in training establishments and depots. Each Platoon has three sections and each section is commanded by a Naik, with a Lance naik as second-in-command. Each section has two to three teams and the team is led by a lance naik. A BGB personnel is not eligible to lead sections, platoons and companies or hold posts of second-in-command if they are over 40 years of age and those in such positions receive additional 'command allowance'. Its current strength is 70,000 structured along 64 battalions and numerous border outposts (BOP), mostly along the borders. * BGB Headquarters: Pilkhana,

Bangladesh
/ref> ** Director-General *** Additional Director-General (Headquarters) ****Deputy Director General (Records) ****Deputy Director General (Logistics) *** Additional Director General (Operations and Training) **** Deputy Director General (Communications) **** Commandant - Border Guard Training Centre and College *** Additional Director General (Administration) **** Deputy Director General (Budget) **** Deputy Director General (Central Purchase) **** Deputy Director General (Construction Works) *** Additional Director General (Medical) *** Additional Director General (Border Security Bureau) *** Sector Command -

* North Eastern Region: Sarail, Chittagong ** Region Commander *** Sector Command - Cumilla *** Sector Command - Mymensingh *** Sector Command - Sreemangal *** Sector Command -

Sylhet Sylhet (; ) is a Metropolis, metropolitan city in the north eastern region of Bangladesh. It serves as the administrative center for both the Sylhet District and the Sylhet Division. The city is situated on the banks of the Surma River and, as o ...

*** Regional Intelligence Bureau - Sarail * North Western Region: Rajshahi City,

Rajshahi Rajshahi (, ) is a metropolis, metropolitan city and a major Urban area, urban, administrative, commercial and educational centre of Bangladesh. It is also the administrative seat of the eponymous Rajshahi Division, division and Rajshahi Distr ...

** Region Commander *** Sector Command - Dinajpur *** Sector Command -

*** Sector Command - Rangpur *** Sector Command - Thakurgaon *** Sector Command - Panchagarh *** Regional Intelligence Bureau - Rajshahi * South Eastern Region: Halishahar, Chittagong ** Region Commander *** Sector Command - Rangamati *** Sector Command - Khagrachari *** Sector Command - Guimara *** Reserve Battalion - Chattagram *** Regional Intelligence Bureau - Halishahar * South Western Regional:

Jessore Jessore (, ), officially Jashore, is a city of Jessore District in Khulna Division. It lies in southwestern Bangladesh. It is home to the first flight training school of the Bangladeshi Air Force, established in 1971. Jessore city consists of 9 wa ...

Khulna Khulna (, ) is the third-largest city in Bangladesh, after Dhaka and Chittagong. It is the administrative centre of the Khulna District and the Khulna Division. It is the divisional centre of 10 districts of the division. Khulna is also the seco ...

** Region Commander *** Sector Command - Kushtia *** Sector Command -

*** Regional Intelligence Bureau - Jessore * Cox's Bazar Region: Cox's Bazar, Chittagong ** Region Commander *** Sector Command - Ramu *** Sector Command - Bandarban *** Regional Intelligence Bureau - Cox's Bazar

Future modernization programme

BGB has adopted a long term modernization plan named "BGB Vision 2041" in 2017. The plan intends to make BGB a well-trained, well-equipped and technologically advanced force. In short terms, BGB plans for structural and manpower expansion. A new region (equivalent to division) will be raised in Ramu of Cox's Bazar. Three new sectors (equivalent to

) will be raised at Ali Kadam of Bandarban, Naogaon and

. Eight new

s will be formed at Jhikargacha of

, Meherpur, Khagrachari, ''Boro Mowdok'' of Bandarban, Gazipur,

Narayanganj Narayanganj () is a city in central Bangladesh in the Greater Dhaka area. It is in the Narayanganj District, about southeast of the capital city of Dhaka. With a population of almost 1 million, it is the 6th largest city in Bangladesh. It is als ...

and Kulaura. Two riverine battalions will be raised in BGB at ''Nildumur'' of Shatkhira and Teknaf of Cox's Bazar. They are the first two units of BGB who will be able to operate in riverine borders and ''char''s (

River island River Island (stylised as RiverIsland and abbreviated as RI) is a London-based, multi-channel fashion brand, founded in 1948 by Bernard Lewis (entrepreneur), Bernard Lewis. The retailer has a presence in over 125 of worldwide markets, in stores ...

). The number of personnel will be increased from 50,000 to 65.000 soon. 124 ''Border Out Posts (BOP)'' and 70 heli-support BOPs are being set up in the border areas of hilly districts along the border with Myanmar. 128 ''Border Sentri Posts (BSP)'' are being constructed between the distant BOPs. BGB members are being equipped with bulletproof vests and ballistic helmet. A ''Quick Response Force'' will be established for BGB. The force will work to supply modern arms and ammunition swiftly to border points in case of any emergency. For smooth operation in the border areas, border roads are being constructed. In ''BGB day 2017'', prime minister said that the government has undertaken a plan to construct a total of 3,167 km ring road across the borders with India and Myanmar. BGB has already bought two Mi-171E helicopters from

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

for its aviation wing at a cost of Tk. 355.10 crore. To effectively monitor the border, BGB plans to add modern technology to the border management. The plan is to set up

camera A camera is an instrument used to capture and store images and videos, either digitally via an electronic image sensor, or chemically via a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. As a pivotal technology in the fields of photograp ...

night vision goggles A night-vision device (NVD), also known as a night optical/observation device (NOD) or night-vision goggle (NVG), is an optoelectronic device that allows visualization of images in low levels of light, improving the user's night vision. The ...

and infrared sensors throughout the border. BGB plans to achieve 3I (Information, Identification, Intervention) capabilities in the border in long term. Having

Radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...

and Satellite monitoring facilities in the border are also planned.

References

External links

* * {{authority control Military of Bangladesh Mukti Bahini Borders of Bangladesh Paramilitary forces of Bangladesh 1795 establishments in the British Empire Government agencies of Bangladesh Uniformed services of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman administration initiatives