DHAKA, June 3 (HS): The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has accused India's border force, the Border Security Force (BSF), of escalating tensions along the international border. The BGB has adopted a firm stance over the alleged pushback of people from the Indian side and stated that no individual illegally forced into Bangladesh through the border would be accepted.

According to a report by the Dhaka Tribune, BGB Headquarters Deputy Director General and spokesperson Colonel Abu Hasnat Mohammad Mahmood Azam said that if any pushed-back individual claims Bangladeshi citizenship, appropriate action would be taken only after identity verification through designated checkpoints in accordance with international rules and established procedures.

He further stated that the BGB is fully prepared to deal with any situation along the border. Owing to the increase in such alleged pushback incidents, the leave of several personnel was reportedly cancelled during the Eid-ul-Adha period.

Azam said that the BGB recently foiled an infiltration attempt along the Jessore border. The incident occurred late Sunday night in the Benapole border area under Sharsha Upazila of Jessore district. According to him, an attempt was made to push 10 women, men, and children into Bangladesh through a gate in the barbed-wire fence. The BGB intervened and prevented the attempt.

The BGB spokesperson said the individuals are currently stranded in the “zero line” or no-man’s land near Bombetola in Sadipur village, close to the Benapole border.

He added that a letter had been sent to address the issue, but the BSF had not responded as of Monday evening. Azam alleged that claims of Bengali-speaking individuals being pushed into Bangladesh without following internationally recognised border-management procedures are not new and that such incidents have increased over the past month.

Commander of the Jessore 49 BGB Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Golam Mohammad Saiful Alam Khan, stated that the 10 individuals remain present in the zero-line area along the India-Bangladesh border. He alleged that during May, reports emerged from several border sectors claiming that Bengali-speaking individuals were being labelled as illegal migrants or Bangladeshi infiltrators and subsequently pushed into Bangladesh.

According to him, the incidents intensified after May 24, ahead of Eid-ul-Adha. In Satkhira, more than 100 women, men, and children were allegedly pushed toward Bangladesh through different border points. More than 50 individuals were detained in the Dhola border area and nearby locations on suspicion of attempting illegal entry.

At the end of May, 10 people were reportedly detained during an alleged push-in attempt at the Darshana border in Chuadanga district.

BGB officials said that patrols and surveillance along border areas have been intensified. Additional personnel have been deployed, intelligence operations have been strengthened, and border communities have been engaged in monitoring and vigilance efforts.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar