India has allegedly continued to push individuals into Bangladesh, labeling them as Bangladeshi nationals, through several border points, including Satkhira, Kurigram, Khagrachhari, and Moulvibazar, sparking concern among local residents and officials, reports UNB.
Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and local authorities reported multiple such incidents in recent weeks.
Acting Deputy Commissioner Nazmun Ara Sultana on Wednesday said that 80 Indian nationals, including women and children, had crossed into Bangladesh through Khagrachhari's Matiranga and Panchhari upazilas.
According to BGB sources, the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) pushed 29 people through the Shantipur border, 19 through Achalong Para in Taindong Union, and another 32 via the Ruposhi Para border in Panchhari.
Reports also suggest that BSF is mobilsing additional Indian nationals in parts of Tripura, presumably for future push-ins. In response, BGB has intensified patrols and surveillance operations along sensitive border areas.
On Wednesday, 44 people were detained by BGB personnel in In Kurigram' Roumari and Bhurungamari upazilas. Roumari Police Station OC Lutfur Rahman confirmed that 30 of them were pushed in through various points, with 22 suspected to be Rohingya.
In the western Sundarbans, 78 people were allegedly pushed in by the Indian Navy near the Mandarbaria area of Satkhira on Friday.
According to sources from the Coast Guard, BGB, and Forest Department, the group—unable to provide proof of Indian citizenship—was dropped near a forest patrol post in Shyamnagar upazila. They were later transported to Mongla aboard a Bangladesh Coast Guard vessel, with some carried in a wooden trawler due to space constraints.
The Sundarbans Forest Division has provided food and temporary shelter to the group.
National Security Adviser Dr Khalilur Rahman said on Wednesday that any repatriation efforts must be conducted through formal diplomatic channels.
"We are examining each case separately. Our decision is we will receive only if there is proof that they are Bangladeshi citizens," he said, adding that such push-ins are "not the right approach."
He confirmed that Bangladesh is already trying to communicate with India regarding the issue.
Authorities have heightened border security, especially along the Feni and other vulnerable border regions, and have ramped up intelligence operations to monitor future incidents.
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