The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) on Friday said it foiled an attempt by India’s Border Security Force (BSF) to push eight people into Bangladesh through the Kushtia border, the latest in a series of such incidents reported along the frontier.

According to a BGB press release, BSF personnel from the Char Meghna camp under the 146 BSF Battalion attempted to send eight people — two men, four women and two transgender persons — into Bangladesh by making them swim across a river near border pillar 152/1-S at around 5:10am.

The BGB said its patrol detected the group and prevented them from entering Bangladesh, forcing them to return to the Indian side.

The incident came a day after BGB reported foiling another push-in attempt at the Chuadanga border, where it said BSF personnel tried to send five people — one man, three women and one child — into Bangladesh through the Darshana border.

The BGB says it has thwarted dozens of push-in attempts by the BSF over the past two months.

The issue has drawn increased attention since West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari took office. In June, Adhikari said about 4,800 people had been sent to Bangladesh through the BSF from holding centres in West Bengal, with another 836 awaiting repatriation.

Bangladesh has disputed those claims, saying repatriation must follow established bilateral procedures and nationality verification. The BGB has maintained that it has repeatedly blocked attempts to push people across the border outside those procedures.

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