Staff Reporter :
Indian Border Security Force (BSF) has reportedly pushed back 44 people Bangladeshi nationals including 24 women and 5 children-through four border crossings: Pirganj in Thakurgaon, Harivasha in Panchagarh, Dariapur in Meherpur, and Burimari in Lalmonirhat.
All were subsequently detained by the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and local police.
On Wednesday morning, BSF pushed back 23 individuals via the Harivasha border in Panchagarh during heavy rain. The group-9 men,
13 women, and 1 child-were immediately detained by BGB. They reportedly come from Jessore, Satkhira, Narail, and Lalmonirhat districts.
Initial interrogations revealed they had been living and working in India for years before being arrested by Indian police in cities including Mumbai on August 2. They were then transported to the border and pushed into Bangladesh by BSF.
Lt. Col. Sheikh Md. Badruddoza, commanding officer of BGB’s 56th Battalion, confirmed the group was handed over to Panchagarh Sadar police and that a general diary is being filed. From May 16 to August 1 this year, BSF has pushed back 163 people through this border.
On Wednesday afternoon, four people crossed back into Bangladesh at Dariapur, Meherpur, over the barbed wire fence. Police detained them near Dariapur village. They are reportedly Bangladeshi nationals from Jessore, Madaripur, and Satkhira districts and their identities are being verified.
At dawn Wednesday, BSF pushed back nine people near the 838 border pillar in Burimari, Patgram, Lalmonirhat. These individuals, originally from Mongolhata village in Lohagara, Narail, had been living in India for around ten years before being arrested in Gujarat and repatriated.
Around 12:45 AM on Tuesday night, BSF pushed back eight people-including five women, two children, and one man-at Fakirganj border in Pirganj, Thakurgaon. The group, from Jessore, Jamalpur, and Netrokona districts, had previously traveled to Mumbai for work but were recently arrested.
BGB’s 42nd Battalion commander, Lt. Col. Abdullah Al-Moin Hasan, said a flag meeting was held with BSF to protest the pushbacks. The detainees will be handed over to Haripur police after identification.
