BGB foils BSF push-in attempts in Dinajpur
Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) said it foiled two alleged attempts by India’s Border Security Force to push 15 people into Bangladesh through the Dinajpur and Jhenaidah borders on Saturday.
The first incident took place at the Khiar Mamudpur border in Birampur upazila of Dinajpur, where BGB personnel prevented nine people from entering Bangladesh.
According to BGB and police, the first attempt occurred around 4:30am near Border Pillar 291/20-S. A BGB patrol spotted the group and blocked their entry into Bangladeshi territory.
Birampur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Saiful Islam said the situation escalated around 7:00am when about 30 BSF personnel allegedly made another attempt to push the same nine people across the border, claiming they were Bangladeshi nationals.
With support from Ansar members and local residents, BGB personnel forced the group back towards the Indian side, he said.
A BGB member from Bhaigar Border Outpost under the 20 BGB Battalion, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the nine people were still staying under a bamboo grove on the Indian side near Border Pillar 291/20-S as of 6:00pm.
“We have informed the commander of the BSF’s Bhimpur Camp that no one will be allowed to enter Bangladesh from India without following due process,” the BGB member said.
Following the incident, more than 100 local residents carrying sticks gathered near the Khiar Mamudpur border and took positions alongside BGB personnel.
In a separate incident, BGB said it thwarted another alleged push-in attempt at the Maheshpur border in Jhenaidah early Saturday.
According to a BGB press release, the incident occurred around 5:10am near Border Pillar 55/MP at the Samanta Border Outpost under the Maheshpur Battalion.
BGB alleged that members of the BSF’s 59 Battalion from Singamora Camp attempted to force six unidentified people-four men and two women-into Bangladesh through a border gate.
A BGB patrol immediately took up positions after detecting the movement and prevented the group from crossing into Bangladeshi territory, the statement said.
The six people were staying about 20 yards inside Indian territory from the zero line, BGB said, adding that the matter had been raised with the BSF.
The incidents came amid a series of reported push-in attempts along different sections of the Bangladesh-India border in recent weeks.
Bangladesh authorities have repeatedly said such attempts violate international norms and existing bilateral border-management mechanisms, arguing that no country can force people across an international border without legal procedures and mutual consent.
Lieutenant Colonel Md Rafiqul Alam, commanding officer of the Maheshpur Battalion, said BGB remained on maximum alert to prevent illegal crossings, push-ins and other transnational crimes.
BGB said it had intensified patrols, surveillance and operational activities along the border to protect Bangladesh’s territorial integrity and maintain order in frontier areas.
