BSF enters Bangladesh, uproots farmers’ fence posts in Sylhet border area, locals protest

A team of India’s Border Security Force (BSF) entered Bangladeshi territory through the Jakiganj border in Sylhet and uprooted fence posts that local farmers had installed to protect their crops on Sunday morning.

The incident triggered protests from local residents, leading to an altercation between the two sides. The BSF personnel later left the area by speedboat.

The incident occurred near the Rasulpur border in Manikpur Union under Jakiganj upazila in the morning. A video of the event has since circulated widely on Facebook.

The footage shows four BSF members standing on the riverbank while several Bangladeshi locals approach them and ask under whose authority they had entered Bangladesh and removed the farmers’ posts.

The locals are heard asserting that the spot lies within Bangladeshi territory, with the Indian border on the opposite side of the river. As the exchange becomes heated, the BSF members are seen boarding a speedboat and leaving the area.

Md Abdus Shahid, a member of the Manikpur Union Parishad, told Prothom Alo that he too had seen the video on Facebook.

“The location is indeed a border area,” he said. “The Surma River runs between India on one side and Rasulpur in Jakiganj on the other.”

Lieutenant Colonel Md Zubair Anwar, commanding officer of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) battalion in Jakiganj, confirmed the incursion.

“The BSF personnel entered Bangladeshi territory but left following protests from the locals,” he said.

The BGB battalion commander further said that upon receiving the report, they summoned them and lodged a formal protest against their entry into Bangladesh.

The BSF has been cautioned to ensure that such incidents do not recur, Lieutenant Colonel Md Zubair Anwar added.