Coochbehar villagers donate land.

In a major boost to border security efforts, three residents of West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district voluntarily donated 33 decimals of land to help complete fencing along the India-Bangladesh border. The land, located in the Satgram Manabari area of Mathabhanga block, will be used for crucial border fencing infrastructure aimed at curbing infiltration and smuggling.

One of the donors, Bikash Rai, said the fencing was necessary to stop cattle theft, infiltration and cross-border crime that villagers had faced for years due to the absence of proper barriers. The development comes amid a broader push to strengthen border infrastructure in West Bengal, where large stretches of the India-Bangladesh frontier remain unfenced.