India’s Border Force Explores Deploying “Snakes & Crocodiles” on Bangladesh Front

India’s paramilitary Border Security Force (BSF) is reportedly exploring the possibility of deploying reptiles such as snakes and crocodiles in the rivers bordering Bangladesh to stop illegal infiltrators and crimes.

An Indian media report claimed the BSF headquarters issued an internal communication to its field units on March 26, 2026, in which it had proposed the “use of reptiles in line with Home Minister Amit Shah’s directions

“The feasibility of deploying reptiles (such as snakes or crocodiles) in vulnerable riverine gaps is to be explored and examined from an operational perspective,” the BSF note was quoted as saying by the report.

However, it quoted an unnamed BSF officer clarifying that “till now the directions on reptiles have not been implemented.” The officer said, “The directions have come to explore the possibility of it. There are several challenges…how does one procure the reptiles and what impact it may have on the local population who live along the riverine stretches?”

The BSF note was issued after a February 9 meeting at its headquarters in New Delhi. The BSF is the primary border guarding force of India, deployed along the borders with Pakistan on the western frontiers, and Bangladesh and Myanmar on the eastern borders.

The Indian border with Bangladesh has several manning challenges, including floods and topography that prevent putting up border fences.

Being densely populated, the “use of reptiles” may pose considerable risk to villagers on either side of the border, especially during floods, the report said.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, in its report on March 17, 2026, noted that India’s borders with Bangladesh stretched 4,096.7 km.

Of these, the government had approved fencing on a 3,326.14 km stretch, but only 2,954.56 km stretch had been fenced so far. Another 371 km of border fencing was still pending.