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The Indian Border Security Force has reportedly pushed in 17 people through two borders in Panchagarh, 15 through the Darshana border in Chuadanga, and 10 through the Dhamoirhat Upazila border in Naogaon.
PANCHAGARH
The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has detained 17 Bangladeshis who were “pushed in” through two border points in Panchagarh.
Nilphamari-56 BGB battalion Deputy Commander Maj Kazi Asif Ahmed said that 10 people were detained after being pushed in through the Bangalpara border in Haribhasa union under Sadar Upazila, while seven others entered via the Bhojoanpur border in Tentulia Upazila on Thursday morning.
Later in the afternoon, the BGB handed over the 10 detainees to Sadar Police Station and the other seven to Tentulia Model Police Station.
According to the BGB, the detained individuals had illegally crossed the border into India. They were recently detained by Indian police from different places, including Odisha and Maharashtra.
Afterwards, they were flown to Siliguri and handed over to the BSF, which then brought them to the border and “pushed them in” to Bangladesh.
Those detained at the Bangalpara border area are Yasin Ali, 35, Nurbanu Khatun, 35, Jemi Khatun, 23, Shikha Akhtar, 36, Jerin Begum, 23, Shaharrun Khatun, 40, Hafsa Akhtar, 20, Romana Akhtar, 20, Moyna Khatun, 22, and Asia Akhter, 23.
Those detained from the Bhojoanpur border in Tentulia are Junaid Hossain, 30, Shahin Miah, 45, Nayan Miah, 38, Saiful Sardar, 34, Nur Mohammad, 46, Jahangir Alam, 30, and Faisal Alim, 26.
Maj Asif said that after their detention, a general diary (GD) was filed against them, and they were handed over to the police station.
Panchagarh Sadar Police Station chief Abdullah Hil Zaman and Tentulia Model Police Station chief Musa Mia said the detainees have been kept in a shelter home. They will be handed over to their families after contacting their relatives.
CHUADANGA
The BSF has handed over 15 Bangladeshis to the BGB through the Darshana border in Chuadanga. The returnees had entered India through the border illegally at different times, according to the BGB.
Chuadanga-6 BGB Battalion Assistant Director Md Haider Ali said the BSF handed over the detainees following a flag meeting between the border forces of the two countries on Thursday.
Among the returnees are four men, four women, and seven children. One of them is from Gazipur, and the rest are from Lalmonirhat and Kurigram districts.
The BGB said that they were doing different jobs after illegally entering India. Recently, Indian police detained them in the state of Haryana.
The 15 people were first taken to the border area and handed over to the BSF. The BSF later informed the BGB about their presence.
After verifying their identities, the BGB contacted the BSF and requested a flag meeting.
Lt Col Nazmul Hasan, commander of Chuadanga-6 BGB, was present on behalf of Bangladesh, and Shri Sujit Kumar, commandant of 32 BSF battalion, was present on behalf of India at the flag meeting.
Darshana Police Station chief Shahid Titumir said the BGB handed over the 15 detainees to the police. Arrangements are being made to return them to their families.
NAOGAON
The BSF “pushed in” 10 people through the Dhamoirhat Upazila border in Naogaon. Among them were two men and eight women.
Patnitala-14 BGB Battalion Commander Lt Col Mohammad Iqbal Hossain said that they were detained from the Maheshpur area of the Agradigun border in the Upazila early Thursday morning.
The detainees are Asma Begum, 40, Khadija Begum, 34, Pakhi Begum, 24, Ruma Begum, 25, Kakoli Akhter, 27, Rojina Akhter, 33, Kohinur Begum, 26, Nasrin Begum, 33, Monjurul Islam, 36, and Sumon Hossain, 27.
The BGB received information during initial interrogation that they are residents of different areas of Narail, Kishoreganj, Dhaka, and Dinajpur.
Lt Col Iqbal said that a patrol team led by Subedar Md Jihad Ali, patrol commander of Agradigun Border Outpost (BOP), saw the 10 people roaming around inside Bangladesh, nearly 1km from the zero line of the border, and detained them.
The BGB said they had entered India illegally through the border at different times. Later, two male masons and eight women worked in houses in Mumbai. Indian police arrested them there.
On Tuesday, they handed the detainees over to members of the Haribangshipur BSF camp in India.
From there, they were “pushed in” to Bangladesh near border pillar 256/7 S in the early hours of Thursday and later detained by the BGB.
Further legal action against the detainees is in process, said Lt Col Iqbal.