Bangladesh has established a new surveillance and drone training school at the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) headquarters in Sylhet, close to the international border with India. The “Shimanto School of Surveillance and Drone Warfare” was inaugurated by Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, who described the initiative as an important step towards strengthening technology-driven border management and surveillance capabilities.

The facility is located around 115 kilometres south of Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya, and approximately 55 kilometres from the India-Bangladesh border. The location places the training centre close to a border region characterised by forested terrain and areas that remain difficult to monitor continuously.

Ahmed highlighted the potential of drones equipped with night-vision and thermal imaging technologies for round-the-clock surveillance. Such systems are expected to help security personnel monitor remote areas and identify routes allegedly used for smuggling, drug trafficking and illegal arms movement along the border.

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The Home Minister also announced plans to incorporate advanced drone technologies from different countries into the school's operations over the next one to two years. During the inauguration, BGB personnel demonstrated drone-based surveillance techniques and operational procedures intended for use in border areas.

The BGB described the new school as a milestone in strengthening technology-based border security and modern operational capabilities. The paramilitary force is responsible for guarding Bangladesh's 4,096.7-kilometre international boundary with India, where surveillance remains a major operational challenge because of varied terrain and unfenced stretches.

India has fenced more than 3,200 kilometres of its border with Bangladesh, while around 860 kilometres remains unfenced, including stretches where fencing is difficult because of riverine terrain. The two countries have also faced recurring disputes over alleged illegal crossings and the handling of migrants at unfenced sections. India refers to the practice of stopping and returning alleged illegal migrants as “pushbacks”, while Bangladesh describes such incidents as “push-ins”. Meanwhile, efforts to complete fencing along remaining sections have continued, including after the West Bengal government recently handed over more than 1,000 acres of land for border infrastructure.

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