Push-ins, border killings to be prioritised at BGB-BSF DG-level talks: home minister

Bangladesh will prioritise discussions on push-ins and border killings during the Director General (DG)-level conference between the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and India's Border Security Force (BSF), scheduled to begin on June 8 in New Delhi, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat, the minister said the BGB remains on high alert along the border and is prepared to prevent any unauthorised crossings.

“Any attempt at illegal push-ins or unauthorised infiltration will be firmly resisted,” he said.

In recent weeks, the BGB has reportedly thwarted several push-in attempts across multiple border districts. 

Relations between Bangladesh and India have strained since the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024. 

Against this backdrop, concerns have grown over the use of border-related issues as political tools amid the rise of nationalist sentiments in the region.

Bangladesh and India share a 4,096-kilometre border, including 2,216 kilometres with West Bengal, 856 kilometres with Tripura, 443 kilometres with Meghalaya, 318 kilometres with Mizoram, and 263 kilometres with Assam.

According to data from Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), 34 Bangladeshis have been killed by the BSF in 2025. Of them, 24 were reportedly shot dead, while 10 died after torture.

Home Minister Salahuddin courted controversy after a remark on border killings on June 2.

Speaking at a briefing, he said, “If any foreign force kills someone by entering our border or at the zero line, then it can be called border killing. But if someone is involved in any sort of crimes within our borders and their borders or if someone commits illegal trespassing, then they [order forces] will address the issue as per their own local laws. In such cases, it should not be called border killing.”

The statement kicked off a firestorm of criticism. 

On Saturday, Convener of the National Citizen Party (NCP) and also the Opposition Chief Whip Nahid Islam termed the remarks “deeply objectionable” and “insulting”.