Multiple Indian push-in attempts foiled as BGB stands firm

The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) on Friday again foiled alleged push-in attempts in at least three border districts, with India ramping up the activities since an electoral upset in West Bengal, where the Bharatiya Jatiya Party (BJP) came to power.

The push-in activities had remained halted until the first week of May, before the uptick started.

In recent days, the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) is alleged to have been forcibly detaining Indian citizens and pushing them into Bangladesh on the pretext of various loopholes.

Speaking to Daily Waadaa, BGB Public Relations Officer Md Shariful Islam said the BSF again made attempts on Friday at the borders of Lalmonirhat, Chapainawabganj, Naogaon and Panchagarh.

This comes a day after the BSF had been stopped from pushing more than a hundred people through 10 border points.

Shariful said men and women who had been attempted to be pushed in over the past month had been stopped at the zero line of the border.

He further said that the border situation is being closely monitored and BGB remains on maximum alert to prevent any kind of infiltration.

“Efforts are being made to communicate with the BSF regarding attempts to push people from India into Bangladesh.”

In recent days, the biggest incidents have occurred at the borders of Netrakona and Chapainawabganj.

According to the BGB media cell, on Friday at around 5:00am, in Lalmonirhat, 11 individuals were first seen being pushed towards Bangladesh through the Barakhata Border Outpost area under the BGB-61 Teesta Battalion.

At the same time, 10 more individuals were reportedly being pushed in through the Paishattibari BOP area in Patgram upazila.

After receiving information, BGB patrol teams went to the scene and took preventive measures.

Meanwhile, at the same time, patrol teams under the Durgapur and Dighaltari BOPs of the 15 BGB Battalion noticed the presence of another 12 people in the Indian border area near border pillars 925 and 927.

When BGB members issued warnings over loudspeakers, they did not cross the Indian border.

The BGB says that 15 to 20 people were being pushed through Netrakona and 22 through Chapainawabganj.

Yesterday, attempts were made to push in two people through the Sylhet border, one person through the Panchagarh border, two people through the Thakurgaon border, and 10 people through the Joypurhat border.

The Goga border in Jashore was not left out either.

Several people were allegedly attempted to be pushed through there, while at least five people faced push-in attempts at the Maheshpur border in Jhenaidah.

Meanwhile, Commander of the Naogaon 16 BGB Battalion Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Ariful Islam Masum told Waadaa that around 3:00am on Wednesday night, an attempt was made to push a total of 28 people — including 12 men, 10 women, and six children — into Bangladesh.

On Thursday’s incident in Panchagarh, Commander of the Nilphamari 56 BGB Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Md Sirajul Islam, said that although the BSF claimed they were Bangladeshi citizens, they would not be accepted under international rules until their identities were confirmed.

A two-hour flag meeting was held between BGB and BSF company commanders at the Borobari border over the incident, but no solution was reached.

70 risk-prone locations identified

The BGB and border sources say the BSF is gathering people in various areas across the India-Bangladesh border for push-ins.

Already, 70 potentially vulnerable areas along the Bangladesh border have been identified.

Among these, the forest area of India adjacent to the Ichamati River under the Khoshalpur BOP in Jashore, Jadavpur-Raghunathpur, and the Benapole area are currently the most vulnerable for push-ins.

There are also fears of people being gathered and pushed into Bangladesh in Koya and Basudebpur of Joypurhat, some border areas of Satkhira and Naogaon districts, as well as several remote and sparsely populated border routes.

These include points in Jhenaidah, Thakurgaon, Panchagarh, Chapainawabganj, Sylhet, Netrakona, Moulvibazar, Feni, Chuadanga, Lalmonirhat, Khagrachari, and Brahmanbaria.

Following the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024, and the interim government taking charge, relations between Bangladesh and India have grown frosty.

Amid the situation, the rise of far-right nationalism has also grown, with push-ins becoming a political tool.

The BGB says that from May 7, 2025, to January 26 of this year, the BSF pushed a total of 2,344 people into Bangladesh.

However, according to the BGB, no push-in incidents occurred from last February until May 7.

But on May 8, the BSF pushed 10 people, including women and children, into Bangladesh through the Muraichhara border of Kulaura in Moulvibazar.

Since then, push-in attempts have resumed one after another.

Bangladesh and India share a 4,096-kilometre border.

More than half of it — 2,216 kilometres — is with the Indian state of West Bengal.

In addition, there are 856 kilometres with Tripura, 443 kilometres with Meghalaya, 318 kilometres with Mizoram, and 263 kilometres with Assam.

According to data from the Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), 34 Bangladeshis were killed by the BSF in 2025.

Among the deceased, 24 were shot dead and 10 died after being subjected to torture.

In addition, 30 Bangladeshi citizens were killed at the border in 2024 and 31 in 2023.