THE INDIA-BANGLADESH BORDER The Bangladesh–India border, also known locally as the International Border (IB), is an international border that runs between Bangladesh and India and divides the country into eight divisions and states. Bangladesh and India share a 4,096-kilometer-long (2,545-mile) international border, the world's fifth-longest land border, which includes 262 kilometres (163 miles) in Assam, 856 kilometres (532 miles) in Tripura, 318 kilometres (198 miles) in Mizoram, 443 kilometres (275 miles) in Meghalaya, and 2,217 kilometres (1,378 miles) in West Bengal. Bangladeshi divisions along the border include Mymensingh, Khulna, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Sylhet, and Chittagong.(MHA 2011)
Figure 18 India- Bangladesh Border
India and Bangladesh share both maritime and land borders. Since 1974, India and Bangladesh have engaged in eight rounds of bilateral negotiations, which have remained inconclusive until 2009, when both agreed to submit to arbitration under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. On July 7, 2014, the Arbitration Tribunal resolved the dispute in favour of Bangladesh, which was accepted amicably by both parties, effectively ending the dispute. To begin, Sir Cyril Radcliffe of the Bengal Boundary Commission drew the India-Bangladesh (formerly last Pal) border. On August 12, 1947, the commission submitted its report to the Governor General. Cyril Radcliffe noted that the province of Bengal provided very few, if any, satisfactory natural boundaries while delineating the India-East Bengal boundary. As a result, the border was drawn using old district maps. As a result, the boundary became circuitous. Instead of following natural barriers, it meanders through villages, agricultural lands, and rivers, making the border extremely porous and riddled with disputed areas. Enclaves' existence is prolonged because they are undermarketed (chit-mahals, and adverse possessions have been causing constant friction between the border guarding forces of India and Bangladesh.)
23