Bangladesh's border patrolling force, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), claimed on Friday that India's Border Security Force (BSF) made multiple attempts to push people into Bangladeshi territory in the early hours of Thursday and Friday. In an official statement, BGB pointed to alleged incidents near Lalmonirhat and Panchagarh (both close to Bengal's Cooch Behar district), Naogaon (near South Dinajpur and Malda districts), and Chapainawabganj (near Malda and Murshidabad districts) over the last 24 hours. BGB said that over 70 people were stopped at the zero-line or no-man's land near the border and are currently stranded there, according to Lt Col Mehedi Imam, commanding officer of BGB's 15 Lalmonirhat battalion.
BSF Responds to Allegations
When contacted, at least three public relations officers of BSF did not provide a response to these specific BGB allegations. Meanwhile, BSF on Friday said they thwarted an alleged BGB attempt to help 10 Bangladeshi nationals, including women and children, infiltrate into India at Panishala in Cooch Behar's Mekhliganj area. BSF reportedly deployed a few extra companies to ensure these people could not enter Indian territory. BGB refuted BSF's claims.
Stranded Individuals and Escalating Tensions
The latest incident comes as the West Bengal government has taken several measures to identify and deport Bangladeshis illegally staying in the state. A video surfaced showing BSF and BGB personnel discussing the issue in front of some stranded people. As both forces disowned them, the 10 people remained stranded near the border. A flag meeting was attempted, but BGB reportedly refused to participate. BSF has since intensified patrolling in the area.
BGB added that in Naogaon, 17 people, including five children, were stopped at the zero line around 7:30 am on Friday. In Lalmonirhat, 33 people were stopped at three places—Hatibandha, Patgram, and Aditmari—and BGB personnel rushed to the spot. BGB further alleged that 28 people, including 10 women and six children, were stopped at the zero line at Chapainawabganj around 3 am on Thursday. A BGB statement said the force is on high alert to prevent any infiltration or push-in attempts.
Upcoming Border Coordination Meeting
Amid these border incidents, BGB brass is scheduled to meet their BSF counterparts in the 57th India-Bangladesh Border Coordination meeting to be held in Delhi from June 8 to 11. The meeting aims to address ongoing tensions and coordinate border management strategies.
