BSF pushes 16 more in BD

Staff Reporter :

Amid mounting diplomatic strain along the Bangladesh-India border, Indian border forces on Tuesday morning reportedly pushed 16 more people-including two children-into Bangladesh through the Aatgram border in Sylhet’s Kanaighat upazila.

The group, comprising eight men, six women, and two children, was detained around 8:00 a.m. by a patrol unit of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), officials said. The detainees have claimed Bangladeshi nationality and stated they had been living in India for an extended period without legal status.

Confirming the incident, Lieutenant Colonel Md Jubayer Anwar, commanding officer of the 19 BGB Battalion based in Zakiganj, told the media that preliminary interrogation is underway.
“We are currently verifying their identities and the routes they used to cross the border,” he said. “Further legal steps will be taken after confirmation.”

BGB sources noted that the individuals were pushed through a remote area not typically used for regular border crossings. Officers said communication is ongoing with India’s Border Security Force (BSF), though no formal explanation for the latest push-in has been provided by Indian authorities.

The move marks yet another escalation in what Bangladeshi officials have called a “worrying pattern” of unilateral pushbacks by the BSF. Since 6 May, approximately 280 individuals have been pushed into Bangladesh from different Indian border points-mainly through Kurigram, Khagrachari, Sylhet, Moulvibazar, and Chuadanga districts-according to BGB data.

Dhaka has registered strong objections to the practice, which analysts and rights groups say violates international norms and contradicts existing bilateral agreements governing border management between the two countries.

While the identities and legal statuses of the pushed-in individuals are still under review, the trend is fueling concerns about due process, humanitarian treatment, and the sudden burden on local administrations along Bangladesh’s frontier.

Analysts warn that unless addressed through urgent diplomatic engagement, such incidents may further strain Dhaka-Delhi relations at a time when regional cooperation is already under stress.