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{{Short description|Series of armed skirmishes between Bangladesh and India}}
{{pp-dispute|small=yes}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict = 2001 Bangladesh–India border skirmishes
| date = 16–20 April 2001 ({{Age in months, weeks and days|month1=4|month2=4|day1=16|day2=20}})
| place = [[Bangladesh–India border]] ([[Gowainghat Upazila|Gowainghat, Sylhet]]/[[East Khasi Hills district|East Khasi Hills, Meghalaya]], [[Kurigram District|Boraibari, Kurigram]])
| result = Inconclusive (''See [[#Aftermath|Aftermath]] section'')
| territory = ''[[Status quo ante bellum]]''
| combatant1 = {{flag|Bangladesh}}
| combatant2 = {{flag|India}}
| units1 = {{flagicon image|বর্ডার গার্ড বাংলাদেশের পতাকা.svg}} [[Bangladesh Rifles]]
| units2 = {{flagicon image|BSF Flag.svg}} [[Border Security Force]]
| commander1 = {{flagicon image|বর্ডার গার্ড বাংলাদেশের পতাকা.svg}} [[A. L. M. Fazlur Rahman]]
| commander2 = {{flagicon image|BSF Flag.svg}} [[Gurbachan Jagat|Gurbachan Singh Jagat]]
| strength1 = {{flagicon image|বর্ডার গার্ড বাংলাদেশের পতাকা.svg}} 700–1,000 troops <ref name="frl">{{cite magazine |last=Gokhale |first=Nitin |date=30 April 2001 |title=A Tale Of Two Blunders |magazine=Outlook |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/a-tale-of-two-blunders/211448 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714201917/http://www.bangladesh-web.com/view.php?hidRecord=362173 |archive-date=14 July 2014 |access-date=16 October 2014}}</ref><ref name="withdrawls" /><ref name="fline" /><ref>{{cite news |last1= |first1= |last2= |date=24 April 2001 |title=Bangladesh accused of border buildup |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/asiapcf/south/04/24/india.bangladesh.border/index.html |website=[[CNN]] |language=en |access-date=15 June 2024}}</ref>
| strength2 = {{flagicon image|BSF Flag.svg}} 300+ troops
| casualties1 = {{flagicon image|বর্ডার গার্ড বাংলাদেশের পতাকা.svg}} {{ubl|3 killed|5 wounded<ref name="frontline" />}}
| casualties2 = {{flagicon image|BSF Flag.svg}} {{ubl|16 killed<ref name="bbc1" /><ref name="guardian">{{cite news |url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/apr/23/bangladesh |title=Army defiant as Bangladesh election looms |first=Luke |last=Harding |date=23 April 2001 |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=3 July 2014 |archive-date=14 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714145527/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/apr/23/bangladesh |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="assamtribune">{{cite news |url=http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=dec1012/at05 |title=Area where 16 BSF men were killed to go to Bangladesh |first=Dutta |last=Choudhury |date=10 Dec 2012 |work=[[Assam Tribune]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200901153801/http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=dec1012%2Fat05 |archive-date=1 September 2020 |access-date=3 July 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=wsws /><ref>{{cite news |last1= |first1= |last2= |date=18 April 2001 |title=India, Bangladesh clash along border |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/asiapcf/south/04/18/india.bangladesh.clash/index.html |website=[[CNN]] |language=en |access-date=15 June 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/bengali/news-56776141|title=|last=Hosen|first=Akbar|date=18 April 2021|publication-place=[[Dhaka]]|language=bn-BD|script-title=bn:বড়াইবাড়ী যুদ্ধ: কুড়িগ্রামে কুড়ি বছর আগের যে সংঘাতে ১৬ জন ভারতীয় রক্ষী নিহত হয়|access-date=12 September 2024|work=[[BBC Bangla]]}}</ref>|2 wounded<ref name="India-Bangladesh border battle">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1283068.stm|title=India-Bangladesh border battle|date=18 April 2001|work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref>|2 captured<ref name="India-Bangladesh border battle" />}}
| casualties3 = 24 civilians injured<ref name="schendel">{{cite book |last=van Schendel |first=Willem |year=2007 |chapter=The Wagah Syndrome: Territorial Roots of Contemporary violence in South Asia |editor1-last=Basu |editor1-first=Amrita |editor2-last=Roy |editor2-first=Srirupa |title=Violence and Democracy in India |publisher=[[Seagull Books]] |location=[[Calcutta]] |pages=55–57}}</ref><br /> 10,000 civilians temporarily displaced<ref name="schendel"/>
| image = India Bangladesh Locator.svg
| image_size = 300px
| caption = Map showing the locations of India and Bangladesh (highlighted in green and orange, respectively)
}}

The '''2001 Bangladesh–India border skirmishes''' were a series of armed clashes between [[India]] and [[Bangladesh]] in April 2001. The clashes took place between troops of the [[Border Guards Bangladesh|Bangladesh Rifles]] (BDR) and the Indian [[Border Security Force]] (BSF) on the poorly-marked [[Bangladesh–India border|international border between the two countries]].

The clashes began on 16 April 2001,<ref name="Analysis" /> when a force of around 800 to a 1000 Bangladeshi Paramilitary soldiers attacked and captured Padua/Pyrdiwah village, breaking the status quo and forcing the civilians there to flee.<ref name="withdrawls" /><ref name="fline" /> Bangladesh claimed that the village had been illegally occupied by India since [[Bangladesh war of Independence|Bangladesh's War of Independence]] in 1971.<ref name="Tension">{{cite news |title=Tension along the border |work=[[BBC News]] |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1283703.stm |access-date=1 May 2012 |archive-date=12 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130112073332/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1283703.stm |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="bbc1">{{cite news |date=18 April 2001 |title=India-Bangladesh border battle |work=[[BBC News]] |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1283068.stm |access-date=16 October 2014 |archive-date=20 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020102522/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1283068.stm |url-status=live}}</ref> The Indian Border Security Force (BSF) post in Padua/Pyrdiwah village was encircled, trapping 31 BSF troops within. However, both sides held their [[battle|fire]] and began [[negotiations]]. Over the course of the following days, about three BSF [[Company (military unit)|companies]] proceeded to reinforce the outpost.<ref name="itoday">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/neighbours/story/20010507-barbaric-killing-of-bsf-jawans-puts-india-bangladesh-relations-under-severe-strain-776193-2001-05-06 |title=Barbaric killing of BSF jawans puts India-Bangladesh relations under severe strain |date=7 May 2001 |magazine=[[India Today]] |access-date=3 July 2014}}</ref> This incident was [[Dispute resolution|resolved]] later without any bloodshed.

Following this standoff, [[Border Security Force|Indian BSF]] [[Indian Paramilitary|paramilitary]] troops along the [[Bangladesh–India border]] were put on high alert and ordered to begin intensive patrolling. A few days later, a small contingent of 300 BSF troops entered [[Kurigram|Bangladeshi territory]] near the village of Boraibari, more than 200 km to the west of Padua/Pyrdiwah, The intrusion was deemed as a "[[Counterattack|counter-attack]]" by India to retaliate after the earlier incident in Padua.

Immediately upon entering [[Bangladesh|Bangladeshi]] territory, the BSF paramilitary company was [[Ambush|ambushed]] by Bangladeshi border guards and the attack on BDR outposts in Boraibari was repulsed.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ranjan |first=Amit |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9sJ1DwAAQBAJ |title=India–Bangladesh Border Disputes History and Post-LBA Dynamics |series=South Asia Economic and Policy Studies |date=30 October 2018|publisher=[[Springer Nature Singapore]] |isbn=9789811083846 |page=107 |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-981-10-8384-6 |eissn=2522-5510 |issn=2522-5502}}</ref><ref name="frontline" /> Following their capture, the bodies of the Indian soldiers were returned to India on 20 April.<ref name="wsws" />

The clashes finally ended on 21 April 2001, after both sides agreed to a [[ceasefire]]. The clashes left a total of 21 people dead, including 16 Indian soldiers and three Bangladeshi border guards.

== Background ==
{{Main|Partition of Bengal (1947)}}
The [[Partition of Bengal (1947)|Partition of Bengal in 1947]] left a poorly demarcated international border between the states of [[India]] and [[Bangladesh]] (erstwhile [[East Pakistan]]). Ownership of several villages on both sides of the ''[[de facto]]'' border were disputed and claimed by both countries. The dispute over the demarcation of the India–Bangladesh border worsened due to the existence of over [[India–Bangladesh enclaves|190 enclaves]].

== Cause ==
One of the disputed areas was a small sliver of land near the village of Padua (also known as Pyrdiwah), on the border between [[Bangladesh]] and the [[States and union territories of India|Indian state]] of [[Meghalaya]],<ref name="Analysis" /> which was used by [[Indian Armed Forces|Indian security forces]] during the [[Bangladesh Liberation War|1971 Bangladesh War]] to train ethnic [[Bengalis|Bengali]] [[Guerrilla warfare|guerrillas]], who were fighting the [[Pakistan Army]] and pro-Pakistan loyalist militias. Following its independence, Bangladesh staked its claim to the area which [[India]]'s [[Border Security Force]] (BSF) had established a post in since 1971.<ref name="fline">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.frontline.in/static/html/fl1809/18090220.htm |title=Disturbed Border |last=Chaudhuri |first=Kalyan |date=28 April 2001 |magazine=[[Frontline (magazine)|Frontline]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828014225/http://www.frontline.in/static/html/fl1809/18090220.htm |archive-date=28 August 2017 |access-date=3 July 2014}}</ref><ref name="Analysis" /> The village is one of the Indian [[Enclave and exclave|exclaves]] on the border between Bangladesh and Meghalaya.<ref name="Hillary">{{cite book |last=Kobayashi-Hillary |first=Mark |year=2004 |title=Outsourcing to India: The Offshore Advantage |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qcEwts3f26wC&pg=PA61 |publisher=[[Springer Science & Business Media]] |pages=61– |isbn=978-3-540-20855-6}}</ref><ref name="Taylor">{{cite book |title=The Europa World Year Book 2003 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XLvU9lroRuUC&pg=PA662 |year=2003 |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] |pages=662– |isbn=978-1-85743-227-5}}</ref> There are 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladeshi-claimed territory and 50 Bangladeshi enclaves in Indian-claimed territory. Padua village is an [[adverse possession]]—a village inhabited by [[Indian people|Indians]] that is legally owned by Bangladesh (until the border agreement is ratified and the [[Population transfer|populations exchanged]]).<ref name="itoday"/><ref name="nautilus">{{cite web |url=http://www.nautilus.org/archives/sand/Updates2001/V2N17.html |title=South Asia Nuclear Dialogue |publisher= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081203131236/http://www.nautilus.org/archives/sand/Updates2001/V2N17.html |archive-date=3 December 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="schendel"/> The people of this village are ethnic [[Khasi people|Khasis]].<ref name="fline" />

In an interview published much later, the then-director of the [[Border Guards Bangladesh|Bangladesh Rifles]] (BDR), [[Major general|Major-General]] [[A. L. M. Fazlur Rahman|Fazlur Rahman]], who was later dismissed from service by the rival government following an election, claimed that the [[Border Security Force|Indian BSF]] had begun to construct a linking road between their camp in Padua and another camp {{Convert|10|km|mi|abbr=on}} away through [[no man's land]] and Bangladeshi territory.<ref name="frontline" /><ref name="newagebd">{{cite news |url=http://newagebd.com/supliment.php?sid=313&id=2142 |title=A country should have strength to implement its political plans |date=20 Dec 2013 |work=[[New Age (Bangladesh)]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222134313/http://newagebd.com/supliment.php?sid=313&id=2142 |archive-date=22 February 2014 |access-date=3 July 2014}}</ref>

== Conflict ==
[[File:Battle of Boraibari 2001, Bangladesh 3.jpg|thumb|Bullet marks of the BSF at the Boraibari camp in Bangladesh]]
The fighting that took place during these clashes was the worst since [[Bangladesh]]'s war with [[Pakistan]] in 1971. It took place around the village of Padua in the Indian state of [[Meghalaya]]<ref name="Analysis" /> which adjoins the [[Tamabil, Sylhet|Tamabil]] area of the Bangladeshi border in the [[Sylhet District|Sylhet district]]. Although an effective ''[[status quo]]'' had been maintained in this area, around {{Convert|6.5|km|mi|abbr=on}} of the border had been disputed for the past 30 years.

On 16 April 2001, a force of around 1000 Bangladeshi paramilitaries attacked and captured Padua village, breaking the status quo and forcing the civilians there to flee. Bangladesh claimed that the village had been illegally occupied by [[India]] since [[Bangladesh Liberation War|Bangladesh's War of independence in 1971]].<ref name="Analysis">{{cite news |title=Analysis: Surprising outbreak of hostilities |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1285576.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |access-date=1 May 2012 |archive-date=12 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130112073337/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1285576.stm |url-status=live}}</ref> The Indian [[Border Security Force]] (BSF) post in Padua village was surrounded, trapping several BSF troops within. However, both sides held their fire and began negotiations. Over the course of the following days, about three BSF [[Company (military unit)|companies]] proceeded to reinforce the outpost. This incident was resolved later without any bloodshed.

Following this standoff, BSF troops along the [[Bangladesh–India border|Indian–Bangladeshi border]] were put on high alert and ordered to begin intensive patrolling. A few days later, a small contingent of [[Border Security Force|BSF]] troops entered Bangladeshi territory near the village of Boraibari, more than {{Convert|200|km|mi|abbr=on}} to the west of Padua. Unlike the latter village, which is an [[adverse possession]], Boroibari is an area lying across a fence well inside Bangladesh. The intrusion was used as a "''counter-attack''" by India to retaliate after the earlier incident in Padua. According to Bangladeshi sources, Indian forces launched an early-morning attack on their posts in the frontier district of [[Kurigram District|Kurigram]], which lies on the border with the Indian state of [[Assam]].

Immediately upon entering Bangladeshi territory, 16 Indian [[Paramilitary forces of India|paramilitary]] personnel were ambushed and killed by Bangladeshi border guards, who were assisted by hundreds of villagers. Around midnight, the [[Foreign Secretary of India]], [[Chokila Iyer]], received a call from her [[Foreign Secretary (Bangladesh)|Bangladeshi counterpart]], [[Syed Muazzem Ali]], saying that orders had been issued to restore the status quo as well as for an immediate Bangladeshi withdrawal from Padua. The [[Border Guards Bangladesh|Bangladesh Rifles]] (BDR) withdrew from Padua by the night of 19 April.

In the confrontation, 16 Indian border guards were killed while two suffered injuries. The attack also left three Bangladeshi border guards dead and another five wounded. About 10,000 civilians fled the area after some 24 were wounded in the cross-border clashes.

After the Boroibari intrusion on 18 April, India alleged that the BDR started firing 3-inch and 8-inch [[Mortar (weapon)|mortar]] shells on [[Mankachar]] village, which is another disputed Indian [[Enclave and exclave|enclave]].

== Aftermath ==
After [[Bangladesh–India relations|both governments]] intervened in the situation, the Bangladeshis and Indians returned to their original positions and restored the previous ''[[status quo]]''.<ref name="withdrawls">{{cite news |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20010420/main1.htm |title=A Guns fall silent on border; BSF men's bodies to be returned today |date=19 April 2001 |work=The Tribune |access-date=3 July 2014 |archive-date=13 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513093930/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20010420/main1.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> Fresh clashes erupted along the [[Bangladesh–India border|India–Bangladesh border]] just hours after both sides voiced regret and concern over the recent killings, but by midnight on 20 April, cross-border firing had stopped. An article reported that 6,000 Indian civilians had fled the region, and [[Government of India|Indian government]] officials were attempting to convince the displaced villagers to return to their homes.<ref name="nautilus" /> Bangladesh later agreed to return the bodies of 16 Indian soldiers the next day.<ref name="withdrawls" /> Upon examining the bodies of the dead personnel, [[India]] accused [[Bangladesh Armed Forces|Bangladesh Forces]] of subjecting the [[Prisoner of war|captives]] to severe torture before they were shot dead.<ref>{{cite web |title='Criminal adventurism' must not go unpunished: Jaswant |url=http://in.rediff.com/news/2001/apr/23ls1.htm |work=[[Rediff.com|Rediff]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604015218/http://in.rediff.com/news/2001/apr/23ls1.htm |archive-date=4 June 2011 |url-status=live |access-date=12 July 2009}}</ref><ref name="bn">{{cite news |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20010422/main1.htm |title=BSF men tortured, then shot dead |work=The Tribune |access-date=16 October 2014 |archive-date=26 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140326070457/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20010422/main1.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> On the other hand, three Bangladeshi soldiers were also killed; two during combat and another who died of wounds that were sustained during cross-border operations.

Observers have termed the incident as a political ploy to rouse [[Bangladeshi nationalism|nationalistic passions]] before the Bangladeshi elections (which were 2 months away at the time of the incident) and as malicious adventurism by the [[Border Guards Bangladesh|Bangladesh Rifles]] (BDR).<ref name="itoday" /><ref name="Analysis" /> The [[Government of Bangladesh]] denied allegations that it had supported the BDR's initialization of hostilities with India and termed the incident as the "adventurism of its local commanders".<ref name="withdrawls" />

The [[Prime Minister of Bangladesh]] [[Sheikh Hasina]] and [[Prime Minister of India]] [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]] engaged in telephonic discussions and subsequently agreed to order a high-level investigation into the incident.<ref name="frontline">{{Cite web|date=22 February 2014|title=A brush with Bangladesh|url=http://www.frontline.in/static/html/fl1810/18100280.htm|access-date=11 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222215106/http://www.frontline.in/static/html/fl1810/18100280.htm|archive-date=22 February 2014}}</ref><ref name="wsws">{{cite web |url=https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2001/05/bang-m21.html |title=India-Bangladesh border still tense after worst clash in 30 years |author=Nishanthi Priyangika |date=21 May 2012 |website=World Socialist Web site |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120133200/http://www.wsws.org/articles/2001/may2001/bang-m21.shtml |archive-date=20 November 2008 |url-status=live |access-date=12 July 2009}}</ref> [[Ministry of External Affairs (India)|Indian Foreign Ministry]] spokesman [[Raminder Jassal|Raminder Singh Jassal]] reported that both [[India]] and [[Bangladesh]] would improve bilateral diplomatic channels and promised to exercise restraint in the future.<ref name="nautilus" /> India and Bangladesh initiated talks to resolve their border disputes in March 2002. By July 2002, the two sides established joint-working groups to agree on and establish the non-demarcated sections of the border.<ref name=Taylor />

Bangladesh ordered no [[Court-martial|courts-martial]], suspensions, or transfers of any local military commanders.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mea.gov.in/articles-in-indian-media.htm?dtl/18607/Bangladesh+used+us+as+a+punching+bag |title='Bangladesh used us as a punching bag |work=Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India |publisher= |access-date=16 October 2014 |archive-date=30 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200330005510/http://www.mea.gov.in/articles-in-indian-media.htm?dtl/18607/Bangladesh+used+us+as+a+punching+bag |url-status=live}}</ref> This was the first armed engagement between India and Bangladesh, two neighbouring states that had otherwise maintained friendly relations since [[Bangladesh Liberation War|Bangladesh's independence]] from [[Pakistan]] in 1971.<ref name="cnn1">{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/asiapcf/south/04/26/india.police/ |title=India accuses Bangladesh of war crimes |date=27 April 2001 |work=[[CNN]] |access-date=3 July 2014 |archive-date=29 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140929114032/http://edition.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/asiapcf/south/04/26/india.police/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The end of the brief conflict saw an upsurge of [[nationalism]] in Bangladesh. In parliamentary elections, the four-party right-wing alliance led by the [[Bangladesh Nationalist Party]] and [[Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami|Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh]] won the majority.

Both sides desisted from any further hostilities and began border talks to discuss disputes along their {{convert|4000|km|mi|abbr=on}} border.<ref name="border_talks">{{cite news |title=Bangladesh and India begin border talks |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1889458.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |access-date=19 October 2006 |archive-date=23 February 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030223172557/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1889458.stm |url-status=live}}</ref> The two states experienced a thaw in [[Bangladesh–India relations|their diplomatic relations]] shortly afterwards.
India has since completed the construction of a [[Bangladesh–India_border#Barrier|barrier along the entire length of its international border]] with Bangladesh.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/1643-km-indo-myanmar-border-to-be-fenced-a-patrol-track-to-be-built-amit-shah-101707231177832.html|title=1643 km Indo-Myanmar border to be fenced, a patrol track to be built: Amit Shah|date=6 February 2024|website=Hindustan Times}}</ref><ref name="border_fence">{{cite news |title=Livelihoods on line at Indian border |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4622317.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |access-date=19 October 2006 |archive-date=28 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828014225/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4622317.stm |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article589627.ece |title=India fences off Bangladesh to keep out Muslim terror |location=London |work=The Times |date=13 November 2005 |first1=Dean |last1=Nelson |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070220120456/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article589627.ece |archive-date=20 February 2007 |access-date=11 July 2007}}</ref> Bangladesh has protested the construction of the barrier, claiming that the construction of a fence within 150 yards of the international border was a gross violation of the [[Indo-Bangla Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Peace|Indo-Bangladeshi Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Peace]].<ref name="people">{{cite news |title=3 killed in Bangladesh-Indian border guards cross fire |url=http://english.people.com.cn/200504/17/eng20050417_181457.html |work=People's Daily |date=17 April 2005 |access-date=15 September 2019 |archive-date=12 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512205046/http://english.people.com.cn/200504/17/eng20050417_181457.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Bangladeshi Government|Bangladeshi government]] also protested the alleged frequent Indian [[Border Security Force]] (BSF) incursions into Bangladesh, and cross-border firing that has resulted in the deaths of [[Bangladeshis]] inside Bangladeshi territory.<ref name="star">{{cite news |title=Border tension flares as BSF kills 2 more |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/2005/04/24/d5042401022.htm |work=The Daily Star |date=24 April 2005 |access-date=19 April 2007 |archive-date=17 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110617114059/http://www.thedailystar.net/2005/04/24/d5042401022.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> In a news conference in August 2008, it was stated that 97 people had been killed (69 Bangladeshis, 28 Indians; rest unidentified) while trying to cross the border illegally in the prior six months.<ref name="bsf killing">{{cite news |title=India says 59 killed over last six months on Bangladesh border |url=http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-35156020080824 |work=Reuters |date=24 August 2008 |access-date=15 September 2019 |archive-date=26 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081026110404/http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-35156020080824 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="dstar11-16-08">{{cite news |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=63748 |title=Three Bangladeshis killed in 'drunk shooting' by BSF man |work=The Daily Star |date=17 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212191647/http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=63748 |archive-date=12 February 2009}}</ref>

==Legacy==
[[File:Battle of Boraibari 2001, Bangladesh 5.jpg|thumb|right|Memorial in remembrance of the Bangladeshi soldiers killed]]

A memorial was made in Boraibari to preserve the history in Bangladesh.<ref>{{cite web |title=ঐতিহ্যবাহী বড়াইবাড়ী দিবস আজ |url=https://www.banglatribune.com/country/rangpur/199267/ঐতিহ্যবাহী-বড়াইবাড়ী-দিবস-আজ |website=Bangla Tribune |language=bn |access-date=25 November 2025}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Deaths along the Bangladesh–India border]]
* [[Bangladesh–India relations]]
* [[Bangladesh–India border]]
* [[2019 Bangladesh-Indian border clash]]
* [[1979 Bangladesh-Indian skirmishes]]
* [[Border Guard Bangladesh]]
* [[Border Security Force]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Gautam Das (2007)."Chapter 17—Operation Gone Sour: Pyrdiwah and Boroibari, 2001". [https://books.google.com/books?id=CsEGZDgHTCcC ''Unlearned Lessons: An Appraisal of India's Military Mishaps'']. Har Anand Publications. {{ISBN|9788124112571|}}

{{Military of Bangladesh}}
{{Bangladesh-India relations}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:2001 Indian-Bangladeshi Border Conflict}}
[[Category:2001 in India|Indian-Bangladeshi Border Conflict, 2001]]
[[Category:2001 in Bangladesh|Indian-Bangladeshi Border Conflict, 2001]]
[[Category:Bangladesh–India border]]
[[Category:Territorial disputes of India]]
[[Category:Territorial disputes of Bangladesh]]
[[Category:Battles in 2001]]
[[Category:Border Guard Bangladesh]]
[[Category:Border incidents]]

2001 Bangladesh India border skirmishes - Revision history

Ananyareddy at 19:18, 16 April 2026