West Bengal BJP leader claims 4,800 pushed into Bangladesh; BGB says zero

West Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari has claimed that around 4,800 people have been pushed into Bangladesh from India, while another 836 are being held at detention centres in border districts awaiting deportation.

Speaking at a BJP programme, Adhikari said Indian authorities had begun deporting alleged illegal immigrants who do not fall under the purview of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

According to Indian media reports, he said holding stations had been established in border districts and that more people would be sent to Bangladesh in the coming days.

"We have started the work of deporting infiltrators who do not fall under the purview of CAA," Times of India quoted Adhikari as saying.

However, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) rejected the suggestion that thousands of people had been pushed into Bangladesh.

"There has been zero push-in," Colonel Abul Hasanat Mohammad Mahmud Azam, Deputy Director General (Media), BGB Headquarters, told Waadaa on Monday, meaning no individuals were allowed to enter Bangladesh through such attempts.

He said BGB had foiled around 30 push-in attempts over the last 72 hours. However, he said he did not have an exact figure for the number of people Indian authorities had attempted to push across the border.

The issue is expected to feature prominently at the 57th director general-level conference between BGB and India's Border Security Force (BSF), which began in New Delhi on Monday.

On Sunday, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said Bangladesh would raise the issue during the meeting.

"We will, InshaAllah, resist all attempts of border push-ins. However, these issues should primarily be resolved through diplomatic discussions," he told reporters.

Bangladesh has maintained that any repatriation of individuals must follow established procedures and nationality verification mechanisms agreed upon by the two countries.

The BGB delegation at the talks is being led by Director General Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui, while the Indian side is headed by BSF Director General Praveen Kumar.

Waadaa contacted the Home Minister on Monday seeking comments on Adhikari's claim that 4,800 people had been sent to Bangladesh but could not reach him.