India鈥檚 Border Security Force pushed 28 more people into Bangladesh through borders in Thakurgaon and Panchagarh district on Saturday as the neighbouring country continued push-in of people.
Of the fresh push-in incidents, 17 were pushed through border in Haripur upazila of Thakurgaon district and 11 through Boda upazila border in Panchagarh district on聽 Saturday morning, according to Border Guard Bangladesh officials.
BGB-42 Battalion commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Abdullah Al Moin said that the BSF pushed 17 Bangladeshis from India near the Chapshar border outpost under Haripur upazila of Thakurgaon district at about 3:10am on Saturday.
鈥榃e have detained them. Indian authorities had held them about 10 days ago in Mumbai and kept them along the border. They pushed them [into Bangladesh] in the early hours of Saturday,鈥� said the BGB official.
BGB headquarters officials said that the BSF also pushed 11 people into Bangladesh through borders along Boda upazila of Panchagrah district on Saturday morning.
They said that the BGB had detained the 11 people.
Responding to a question over India鈥檚 push-in incidents while inaugurating the third floating border outpost in the mouth of the Roymongol River and the Boyesing canal in the Sundarbans area under Shyamnagar upazila of Satkhira district on Saturday, home adviser retired Lieutenant General Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said that Bangladesh believes in addressing India鈥檚 pushing people into the country claiming them as Bangladeshis through the diplomatic channel.
鈥榃e have always been following the international laws and protocols. We have already sent a letter to India through the foreign ministry to resolve the issue,鈥� he said.
He said they have asked India to follow legal procedures if any Bangladeshis are staying in India illegally.
To another question about Indians illegally staying in Bangladesh, he said that the Indians would be sent back to their country according to legal procedures.
According to home adviser, Bangladesh has 4, 156 kilometers of border with India, of which some 180 kilometres fall on water bodies over various parts and 79 km through the Sundarbans.
鈥楾he incidents of unlawful push-in from the neighboring country are taking place daily and they have also pushed people today morning as well. We have vast border areas and it cannot be possible to guard all these areas,鈥� said BGB director general Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui on Saturday.
He said that bordering local people, police and members of the Ansar have also been helping BGB in containing push-in and urged people of bordering areas to provide information to the BGB about such attempts.聽聽聽
Over 400 people, including Rohingyas and Indian nationals, have been pushed by the BSF and the Indian Navy through land and waters along Indian borders since May 7.
According to the BGB, it has detained 320 people from along bordering areas in districts like Khagrachari, Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Kurigram, Thakurgaon and Panchagarh so far since the current spell of push-in incidents has begun.
On May 9, the BSF and the Indian Navy allegedly pushed 78 people, including three Indian nationals, into Bangladesh through the Mandarbaria area under the Satkhira range of the Sunderbans West Forest Zone.
