DHAKA — Border Guard Bangladesh said on June 4 that it had thwarted 10 attempts by Indian authorities to force people across the border over the previous 24 hours, intensifying a dispute over alleged undocumented migration. The BGB accused India’s Border Security Force of trying to drive people into Bangladesh without following formal repatriation procedures.
India’s BSF and Ministry of External Affairs did not respond to requests for comment. The stand-off comes amid strained ties following the 2024 ousting of Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh’s long-time India-aligned prime minister. India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, which governs several border states, has made tackling undocumented migration a priority and has been attempting to push Bengali-speaking Muslims, branded as “illegal infiltrators,” into Bangladesh since last year.
“No individual or group will be allowed to enter Bangladesh illegally through the border,” the BGB said in a statement, adding that any violation of international border management norms and bilateral understandings would be “strictly resisted”. Last month, Bangladeshi border guards intensified patrols and launched public awareness campaigns along parts of the 4,000-km frontier, where officials and rights groups describe a pattern of “push-ins” — informal transfers that bypass verification and diplomatic channels.
In one incident in the southwestern district of Jhenaidah, the BGB said BSF personnel tried to move 30 to 35 people towards Bangladeshi territory in a prison van after opening a border gate, but were forced to retreat. Dhaka insists that anyone confirmed as a Bangladeshi national must be returned through legal and diplomatic protocols, not driven across the border.
The issue is expected to be taken up at director-general-level talks between the border forces scheduled for June 8 to 11 in New Delhi, officials in Dhaka said. India’s foreign ministry last month said it had asked Bangladesh to verify the nationality of more than 2,860 suspected Bangladeshis living illegally in the country.