About India- Bangladesh border

• Currently, India shares the longest land border with Bangladesh, stretching over 4,096.9 km. 
• This boundary falls in five Indian states—West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura—and runs through a diverse topography, including dense forests, hills, river, populous towns and paddy fields.
• Indians and Bangladeshis are united by shared ancestry, linguistic and ethnic ties, and social and familial linkages. 
• This makes the border between the two countries porous and difficult to manage, which in turn facilitates transnational crime networks in running criminal activities across the border, primarily smuggling (of narcotics, arms, gold, and counterfeit Indian currency) and trafficking (of humans and cattle).
• Border Security Force personnel are stationed at the border as the first line of defence. 

Why in the news?

An investigation into the cross-border cow smuggling at India-Bangladesh borders by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has thrown the spotlight on a nexus among Border Security Force (BSF) officials, customs officials and racketeers and political leaders.

Cattle smuggling at Indo-Bangladesh border

• Cattle smuggling between India and Bangladesh is worth nearly $1 billion annually. 
• Every year, thousands of cattle are smuggled from India to Bangladesh, which ensures a significant supply of protein in that country. 
• The smuggling increases exponentially during the Eid-ul Azha due to a rise in demand following the mass sacrifice of the cattle on this occasion.

Reference:

1. https://www.orfonline.org/research/integrated-check-posts-on-the-india-bangladesh-border-a-field-survey-and-brief-analysis-54559/