BGB thwarts eight more push-in attempts

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has thwarted eight separate attempts to push individuals into Bangladesh from India over the past 24 hours.

The authorities described it as a continuing pattern of unauthorised cross-border push-in efforts along various sections of the frontier.

The latest incidents, according to a BGB on Saturday, occurred in several border districts, including Jhenaidah, Naogaon, Lalmonirhat, Panchagarh and Netrokona, where BGB personnel maintained heightened vigilance and prevented dozens of individuals from entering Bangladeshi territory.

At the Jadabpur border under Maheshpur Battalion in Jhenaidah, three individuals attempted to enter Bangladesh from India. BGB patrol members took up positions along the zero line and blocked their entry, forcing them to return to Indian territory.

In Naogaon’s Kormudanga border area, BGB personnel prevented an attempt to push 17 individuals into Bangladesh.

Similar incidents were reported at the Borokhata and Poyshottibari border points under Teesta Battalion, where 21 people were allegedly brought to the border and attempts were made to send them into Bangladesh.

BGB said its prompt intervention prevented the individuals from crossing the frontier.

Further north, BGB foiled attempts to push seven people into Bangladesh through the Dighaltari border in Lalmonirhat.

Another group of four individuals was reportedly brought to the Durgapur border area. BGB said those individuals remain on the Indian side in a char area outside the border fence, while Bangladeshi forces continue to monitor the situation closely.

At Borobari Pradhanpara border in Panchagarh, Indian authorities reportedly brought 10 individuals to an area outside the border fence.

A flag meeting was subsequently held between company commanders of BGB and India’s Border Security Force (BSF).

According to BGB, the BSF claimed the individuals were Bangladeshi nationals but failed to provide evidence supporting the assertion during the meeting.

Meanwhile, at the Kachugora border in Netrokona, BGB said that 16 to 17 individuals who had previously been gathered at a government primary school in Assam’s Mahadev police station area were moved to another location near the Lengura border opposite the BSF’s Chikni camp.

BGB attributed the relocation to its firm stance and said surveillance in the area had been intensified.

The latest incidents come amid growing concern in Bangladesh over a recent rise in push-in attempts along different sections of the border.

Bangladeshi authorities have repeatedly maintained that any repatriation of individuals must be conducted through established diplomatic and legal channels, including prior nationality verification and coordination between the two countries.

Reiterating its position, BGB said any attempt to push people across the border in violation of international border management norms, existing laws and bilateral understandings between Bangladesh and India is unacceptable.

The border force also stressed that no individual or group would be allowed to enter Bangladesh illegally and reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity through strict border vigilance and enforcement measures.