Border crisis, push-ins raise alarms in Bangladesh
Diplomatic Correspondent :
The Interim Government of Bangladesh has seriously taken the fresh incidents of civilian killings and illegal push-ins of Indian nationals into Bangladesh along the borders as these incidents are repeatedly taking place, but Delhi remains mum.
The Bangladesh government has reiterated its firm stance on the issue, calling for an end to extrajudicial killings and a return to established diplomatic protocols, stating that no security has the right to shoot and kill any individual along the border.
Diplomatic sources said that border killings have long been a source of human rights concern and bilateral friction between the two neighbours when India has repeatedly pledged to down the killings to zero.
According to rights groups, hundreds of unarmed civilians, many of them allegedly involved in minor cross-border activities like cattle trade, have been shot dead over the years-often without due process.
According to human rights watchdog Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK), at least 25 Bangladeshi nationals were killed by India’s Border Security Force (BSF) in 2024 alone, adding to the 594 killings recorded between 2009 and 2023.
In addition to the killings, the practice of push-ins-where Indian citizens are allegedly forced across the border into Bangladesh-has intensified, raising further diplomatic and humanitarian concerns.
Amid the concerns, The Indian Border Security Force (BSF) has pushed 53 individuals, including children, into Bangladesh through borders in Sunamganj and Sylhet districts. On Wednesday morning, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) detained them from Chhatak, Companiganj, and Jaintiapur upazilas.
According to BGB, 19 people from seven families were detained around 200 yards inside Bangladesh in the Batrai area of the Kalairag border in Companiganj. They were reportedly gathered on the Indian side and then forcibly sent across the border by BSF. Among them, 17 claimed to be from Narail, while the others were from Kushtia and Khulna.
Companiganj Police Station OC Uzair Al Mahmud confirmed communication with BGB and said that the detainees are being brought to the police station. In Jaintiapur’s Sripur Rangpani area, BGB detained 13 individuals-two men, eight women, and three children-from nine families. They were handed over to police.
Lieutenant Colonel Nazmul Haque, Commander of the 48 BGB Battalion, said all appear to be Bangladeshi nationals who had entered India illegally. Legal action is in progress.
Additionally, BSF pushed back 21 more people through Nowakut border in Chhatak. BGB detained them and is processing their handover to local police.
Such actions, observers note, directly violate existing border management arrangements between the two countries. According to BGB and other sources, more than 1600 individuals have been pushed in so far.
Meanwhile, speaking at the inauguration of a month-long photography and graffiti exhibition at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka on Wednesday, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain delivered a strong message: “Even if someone breaks the law on the border, no security force has the right to shoot and kill. Those who do so should be held accountable under Indian law.”
Dismissing any suggestion of government leniency on the matter, he said, “Not at all. We’ve been very clear – there is no legal or moral justification for the shooting someone dead over a border violation. We have regularly voiced our protests.”
“This is a serious violation of human rights and international norms,” he added.
The foreign adviser further said, “Those who are committing such acts must be tried under Indian law. We have consistently protested against such border killings.”
Regarding the ongoing push-in attempts, the adviser noted, “There is no need for us to panic. These people are Indian citizens. India must take responsibility and bring them back. Even West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has voiced concerns over this.”
He reminded that Bangladesh and India have an agreed mechanism for handling such cases.
“We’ve told them repeatedly-submit a list, we’ll verify. If they’re our citizens, we’ll take them back. We’ve already returned several people this way. But India must stick to the official process,” he added.
As border tensions persist, the interim government of Bangladesh led by Prof Muhammad Yunus calls for mutual respect, justice, and adherence to legal procedures in managing borders.