Large number of BGB personnel deployed to prevent ‘push-ins’ at border

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has deployed a large number of troops across the border areas of 26 districts to prevent reported ‘push-in’ attempts by India’s Border Security Force (BSF), involving children and women.

The deployed personnel are patrolling the border in four shifts, maintaining 24-hour surveillance, while local residents are also assisting them in various areas.

Meanwhile, between Wednesday and Saturday, BGB successfully foiled 21 attempted push-ins by the BSF, involving more than 200 people, according to officials.

In this context, the 57th Director General-level border conference between the BGB and BSF is scheduled to be held in New Delhi from 8 to 11 June.

Issues including illegal push-ins, killings along the border and broader border management are expected to be discussed at the meeting, BGB officials said.

Senior BGB officials said troops have been deployed to strengthen patrols and intelligence surveillance along the 4,156-kilometre border shared with five Indian states and 26 districts of Bangladesh. Intelligence monitoring has also been enhanced, including by personnel in plainclothes.

According to BGB headquarters, the districts identified as vulnerable to push-in attempts include Chuadanga, Meherpur, Jashore, Satkhira, Kushtia, Jhenaidah, Feni, Moulvibazar, Mymensingh, Netrokona, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Khagrachhari, Thakurgaon, Dinajpur, Joypurhat, Cumilla, Sylhet, Habiganj, Sunamganj, Chapainawabganj, Naogaon, Nilphamari, Panchagarh, Brahmanbaria and Sherpur.

According to the BGB, on the latest day alone, BSF attempted to push in seven people through Tentulbaria in Meherpur, 11 through Mashalgaon in Haripur, Thakurgaon and five through Birampur in Dinajpur. However, due to the strong stance of BGB and local residents, the attempts were unsuccessful.

In addition, from 3 June onwards, BGB has blocked 18 separate incidents involving a total of 186 people, officials said.

BGB and several border sources also claimed that BSF has been gathering groups of children, women and men in different border areas for push-in attempts. In some cases, when the attempts fail, individuals are taken back, but in many cases they are not allowed to enter India and are left stranded, reportedly living in harsh conditions under the open sky.

More than half of Bangladesh’s 4,156-kilometre border with India—around 2,216 kilometres lies along the Indian state of West Bengal. The remaining stretches run through the states of Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Assam. While India has installed barbed-wire fencing in some areas, large portions of the border remain unfenced and porous.

Reports suggest that following the rise to power of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal about a month ago, BSF has become more active in carrying out push-in attempts.

After the West Bengal assembly election victory, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari was sworn in as Chief Minister on 9 May. Soon after taking office, he announced that ‘illegal Bangladeshis’ and ‘infiltrators’ would be detained and sent back to Bangladesh.

When contacted, BGB headquarters’ public relations officer Shariful Islam told Prothom Alo on Saturday that BGB has firmly reiterated that any form of push-in is unacceptable as it violates international border management rules, existing laws and the bilateral understanding between Bangladesh and India.

He added that no individual or group would be allowed to enter Bangladesh illegally through the border, and that no push-in incidents have taken place since 3 June.

Shariful Islam also said that the BGB remains fully prepared to protect the country’s sovereignty and border security under any circumstances.

According to BGB headquarters data, between 7 May and 26 January this year, BSF pushed a total of 2,479 people into Bangladesh over an eight-month period, including 120 Indian nationals. Since then, BGB claims no further push-in incidents have been reported.

According to BGB headquarters, the four-day Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Border Security Force (BSF) Director General-level conference is scheduled to be held in New Delhi from 8 to 11 June. Key issues at the meeting will include illegal push-ins and killings of Bangladeshi nationals along the border.

BGB headquarters Deputy Director (Media) Colonel Abu Hasnat Mahmud Azam told Prothom Alo on Saturday that the conference will place special emphasis on stopping the forced push-in of Indian citizens and displaced Myanmar nationals into Bangladesh.

He said Bangladesh will also raise concerns over the alleged killing, injury and harassment of unarmed Bangladeshi citizens by BSF personnel, Indian nationals or other miscreants, and will demand effective measures to stop such incidents.

Other issues on the agenda include prevention of illegal border crossings, smuggling of drugs, arms and other banned items from India into Bangladesh, human trafficking, violations of border laws, and the construction of barbed-wire fencing and other unauthorised structures within 150 yards of the international border.

Apart from push-in incidents, there have also been allegations of border killings involving the BSF. 

According to data from the human rights organisation Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), 34 Bangladeshis were killed by BSF in 2025. Of them, 24 died in shootings and 10 reportedly died due to torture.

The organisation further reported that 30 Bangladeshis were killed in 2024, while 31 were killed in 2023 along the border.

On Tuesday last, speaking to journalists at the Secretariat, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said Bangladesh does not support any form of illegal push-in or push-back.

He added that the BGB has been kept on alert along the border in response to the situation.