BSF removes over 100 people gathered for ‘push-in’ along Chuadanga border

India's Border Security Force (BSF) has moved more than 100 people who had been gathered near the Darshana-Jaynagar border in Chuadanga, allegedly for the purpose of pushing them into Bangladesh. However, no confirmed information is available about their current whereabouts.

Concerns spread across the border area after reports emerged early on Sunday of an attempt to push in 11 people, followed by information that another 125 people had been assembled on the Indian side of the border.

Local residents organised themselves and began assisting Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) in preventing any push-in attempts. Additional personnel have been deployed, surveillance increased and patrols intensified to manage the situation.

Lieutenant Colonel Nazmul Hasan, commanding officer of BGB's Chuadanga 6 Battalion, told Prothom Alo at 10:00 am today, Monday, that no fresh push-in attempts had been detected along the border over the past 30 hours.

He said that, in the face of BGB resistance, those individuals were moved from the Darshana-Jaynagar border to the Baradi-Sultanpur border area on Sunday. Since then, no further information could be found about their whereabouts.

Nazmul Hasan said there are 78 BSF gates along the barbed-wire fence across the 113-kilometre border under the jurisdiction of the 6 BGB Battalion. He added that BGB personnel have been placed on maximum alert to prevent any push-in attempts or illegal crossings through these gates and border routes.

According to sources at the 6 BGB Battalion, BSF attempted to push 11 people into Bangladesh through an area near pillar 77 S-2 along the Darshana-Jaynagar border at dawn on Sunday.

However, BGB personnel immediately intervened and foiled the attempt. The individuals were later moved to the Indian side adjacent to the Baradi-Sultanpur border in Parkrishnapur-Madna Union.

A few hours later, BGB received information that another 125 people had been assembled across the border in a second attempt. However, according to relevant sources, BSF moved them elsewhere after seeing BGB's firm stance and the vigilant presence of local residents along the border.