Bangladesh raises push-in concerns with India
Bangladesh has sent at least a dozen formal letters to India protesting alleged attempts to push individuals across the border, as security measures along the frontier have been significantly strengthened amid growing tensions over the issue.
Speaking to reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam said, “Bangladesh had lodged between 12 and 13 letters with the Indian government demanding an end to what it described as irregular push-in attempts.”
She said the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) had been firmly resisting such efforts and stressed that any return of undocumented individuals must follow established legal procedures.
“Those who are staying illegally can be repatriated through a recognised process. India must follow that process,” she said, warning that continued push-in attempts could affect efforts to restore and strengthen bilateral relations between the two neighbours.
The remarks came as the 57th Director General-level conference between the BGB and India’s Border Security Force (BSF) commenced in New Delhi on Monday.
According to BGB officials, discussions are expected to focus on alleged push-ins, killings of Bangladeshi nationals along the border and broader border management issues.
Bangladesh has recently stepped up security along its frontier in response to repeated allegations of push-in attempts involving women, children and other individuals.
Thousands of BGB personnel have been deployed across border areas in 26 districts, maintaining round-the-clock surveillance in four shifts. Local residents in several border communities have also been assisting security forces.
In a further effort to strengthen border management, members of the Ansar and Village Defence Party (Ansar-VDP) have been deployed in 11 border districts, including Chapainawabganj, Naogaon, Jashore, Satkhira, Sylhet and Khagrachhari.
Officials said the deployment is being carried out under a 2025 memorandum of understanding with the BGB to enhance coordinated security operations, improve surveillance and prevent cross-border crimes.
The official said Ansar-VDP members have been temporarily deployed in sensitive border areas and are working alongside BGB personnel at various border outposts.
The personnel were recruited from local communities, enabling them to utilise their knowledge of the terrain and surrounding areas to support surveillance and monitoring activities more effectively.
Officials said the joint deployment is intended to reinforce border security, improve vigilance and prevent unauthorised cross-border movements.
Meanwhile, a recent incident along the Boro Bari-Pradhanpara border in Panchagarh highlighted the human impact of the dispute.
Twenty one people, including two women and three children, who had been stranded in a strip of no-man’s land for nearly 69 hours following an alleged BSF push-in attempt, were taken back into Indian territory early on Monday.
According to the BGB, the group had remained exposed to rain, thunderstorms and intense heat since Friday after Bangladesh border guards prevented their entry.
Efforts to resolve the matter through a series of flag meetings between local BGB and BSF commanders failed to produce an immediate solution.
Lieutenant Colonel Md Sirajul Islam, commanding officer of the Nilphamari 56 BGB Battalion, said the BSF switched off its border security lights before escorting the group away from the zero line at around 2:40am on Monday.
He added that the BGB would continue strict monitoring of the border to prevent any future push-in attempts.
The incident has added urgency to ongoing discussions between the two border forces, with Dhaka maintaining that any repatriation of undocumented persons must be conducted through mutually agreed legal and diplomatic channels rather than unilateral actions at the frontier.
