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๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฉ Bangladesh /Crime & Justice

10 Bangladeshis handed to BGB, claim they were pushed back by India's BSF

From Daily Star · (1h ago) English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Ten Bangladeshi nationals were handed over to Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) after being found in the Murichhara border area.
  • The detainees claimed they had entered India illegally, were detained by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF), and were subsequently pushed back into Bangladesh.
  • BGB handed the individuals over to Kulaura Police Station, where they were later released to their families after identity verification.

The Daily Star reports on the apprehension of ten Bangladeshi nationals near the Murichhara border, who claim to have been pushed back into Bangladesh by India's Border Security Force (BSF) after illegally entering India. This incident raises questions about border management and the treatment of individuals crossing between the two nations.

The detainees told BGB they were been pushed into Bangladesh by BSF

โ€” DetaineesTheir account of how they ended up at the Murichhara border.

According to the detainees, they had previously entered India and were detained by the BSF before being returned to Bangladesh. This narrative, if accurate, suggests a pattern of border pushbacks, a practice that often occurs without due process and can have significant humanitarian implications. The BGB's role in receiving these individuals and subsequently handing them over to local police highlights the complexities of managing cross-border movements.

It is not confirmed whether it is a push-in or not. These ten people were brought to us by the public from the border area.

โ€” Lieutenant Colonel Sarkar Asif MahmudCommander of the Srimangal Battalion (46 BGB), commenting on the incident.

While the BGB commander stated that it's unconfirmed whether it was a 'push-in,' the account from the detainees points towards such a scenario. The subsequent release of the individuals to their families by Kulaura Police underscores the local community's involvement and the immediate impact on families separated by such border incidents. This event, occurring in the Moulvibazar district, is a stark reminder of the ongoing challenges faced by individuals attempting to cross borders, often under duress, and the varying procedures employed by border forces.

The detainees told BGB during initial questioning that they had entered India illegally at different times in the past. They were later detained by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) and recently pushed back into Bangladesh through the Murichhara border.

โ€” Farhad MatbarKulaura Police Station Sub-Inspector, relaying information from the initial questioning.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Daily Star in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.