BSF pushed another 84 into Bangladesh thru various borders, says BGB

The Indian Border Security Force (BSF) has illegally pushed in at least 84 people through various border areas today (30 May), UNB reports citing officials of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).

19 thru Moulvibazar border

The BGB has taken 19 people into custody from two separate border areas in Kamalganj, Moulvibazar, after they were pushed into Bangladesh from India.

Citing BGB-46 Battalion Commander Lt Col Md Zakaria, UNB reported that BGB patrols detained five people from the Bagichara border area of Kamalganj at around 4am on Friday (30 May) and 14 people from the Champachhara border area around 7am. The first five people - residents of Kurigram – are being handed over to the Kamalganj Police Station.  The information about the rest is being verified.

The detainees include children and women. They are being kept at BGB's Bagichara BOP and Champachhara BOP, and their information is being verified.

22 through Habiganj

The BSF reportedly also pushed in 22 more people through the Rema border of Chunarughat upazila in Habiganj.

They were pushed in during the night through a place called Debrabari of Rema BOP under Habiganj Battalion (55 BGB).

The group comprised 9 men, 8 women and 5 children, UNB reports citing Kalenga BOP Commander Naik Subedar Syed Jasim Uddin

Preliminary investigation revealed that they were all Bangladeshi citizens and residents of the Kurigram district.

13 through Feni

Meanwhile, the BSF have reportedly pushed 13 Bangladeshis into the country through the Motua border in Chhagalnaiya upazila of Feni in the early hours of Friday without following due process.

A patrol team of BGB's Chhagalnaiya Border Outpost (BOP) under Battalion-4 found the group  – four men, three women, and six children – inside an abandoned house near the Motua area around 9am and detained them, BGB said, reports UNB.

Quoting the detainees, BGB said they were brought to the border with their hands and eyes tied. Taking advantage of bad weather, the BSF untied them and forced them across the border into Bangladesh.

Lt Col Md Mosharraf Hossain, commanding officer of BGB Battalion-4 in Feni, said the BGB company commander lodged a verbal protest with his BSF counterpart over the incident.

BGB said the 13 individuals were handed over to Chhagalnaiya Police Station. The local administration will take further action regarding them.

Chhagalnaiya Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Nazrul Islam said the detainees are currently being sheltered at a room in Motua Government Primary School and are receiving food and necessary assistance.

"A formal protest note will be sent over the incident," said Lt Col Mosharraf.

14 more sent through Khagracchari 

In Khagrachhari, 14 more people were pushed into the country through the Matiranga border by the BSF.

The BGB detained them, after they were transferred across the Mango Garden border area of Taindong union around 5am on Friday, without following due process, reports UNB.

The detained individuals are in Taindong DP Para Govt Primary School under the supervision of the 23rd BGB Jamini Para Battalion.

They said they worked in a brick kiln in Haryana, India. They were arrested there and taken by plane to Agartala in Tripura. From there, they were taken to South Tripura and forcibly sent across the international border to Bangladesh early Friday.

Khagrachhari Deputy Commissioner ABM Iftekharul Islam Khandaker said the citizenship status of the detainees is being verified.

10 through Chuadanga

The BGB detained 10 people pushed into the country by BSF through the Jibannagar border in Chuadanga on Friday. 

Among the detainees, five are children and five are women, Mohammad Saiful Islam, assistant director of BGB's Maheshpur-58 Battalion, told The Business Standard.

The detainees have been handed over to Jibannagar Police Station, he added.

The BGB also informed that the Gujarat police had arrested the individuals on 24 May for illegal infiltration and then sent them to Kolkata on 28 May for the push-in.

Six Indian nationals thru Lalmonirhat

Meanwhile, the BGB detained six Indian nationals at the Burimari Railway Station in Patgram upazila of Lalmonirhat this afternoon, reports UNB.

Patgram Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mizanur Rahman said all the detainees are residents of Assam, India. The BGB has called for a flag meeting with the Indian authorities in this regard.

The six individuals are currently in BGB custody, he added.

According to locals, the six individuals were seen moving suspiciously around the Burimari Railway Station around noon. Acting on information, members of the Burimari Border Outpost (BOP) under the 61 Tista-2 Battalion of BGB detained them.

BGB sources said the group includes two women and that all of them are from Assam's Golaghat and Darrang districts.

They were allegedly pushed into Bangladesh through the Doikhawa border in Hatibandha upazila by 78 Battalion of India's Border Security Force (BSF) on May 25, according to BGB.

Since May 7, the BSF has illegally pushed almost a thousand individuals into Bangladesh - not all of them Bangladeshis -through various points of the border, disregarding due process.