Over 100 Bangladeshis Try To Enter India, Stopped By BSF

New Delhi: Hundreds of Bangladeshis were stopped from entering India by the Border Security Force (BSF) amid political turmoil and unrest in Dhaka after the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who faced a military coup.

Taking to social media platform X, Border Security Force (BSF) wrote, “North Bengal Frontier effectively managed gatherings of  Bangladeshi Nationals near the Indo-Bangladesh border today. With vigilance and coordination with BGB, they ensured safety and prevented any border breaches.”

According to reports, people from Bangladesh pleaded to Indian forces to be allowed to enter the country as they feared for their lives but they were not allowed.

The developments were reported from West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district.

After denial by Indian authorities, many people who sought to enter India returned, however, many are still waiting hoping that they may be allowed to the country.

Officials said the personnel of the force stopped about 120-140 Bangladeshi citizens who were attempting to cross over to the Indian side from multiple locations in the eastern state.

The force is on a "high alert" mode since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in Dhaka earlier this week.

The North Bengal Frontier of the force issued a statement to quell "rumours" and clarify that there was "no widespread movement of the minority population from Bangladesh towards the Indian border." 

"The individuals gathered were primarily motivated by fears of local unrest. The BSF, in coordination with the BGB, and Bangladeshi civil authorities has reassured these individuals of their safety and encouraged them to return to their homes," a spokesperson for the frontier headquartered in Kadamtala, Darjeeling, said.

The Bangladeshi nationals were observed gathering near the IB around noon in two sectors, the statement said. These gatherings were prompted by fears of attacks by protestors in Bangladesh, it said.

According to the statement, BSF personnel demonstrated "exceptional vigilance" and proactive measures and swiftly responded to these situations," ensuring the security of the border and the safety of the gathered Bangladeshi nationals.

In one sector, it said, the BSF and the Border Guard Bangladesh, as well as local civil authorities, sent back 35 Bangladeshi civilians to their homes.

"BSF has deployed additional forces to manage the situation effectively," the statement said said.

In another sector, a group of Bangladeshi villagers approached the IB, causing a brief commotion, but the BSF personnel "promptly engaged" with the group, and the situation was peacefully resolved without any "adverse" incidents. The villagers returned to their homes, and BSF remains on high alert, the spokesperson said.

Bangladesh Situation Matter Of Concern

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the situation in Bangladesh is a matter of concern for the northeastern states, apprehending that the neighbouring country may again become a hub of insurgents and people from there may enter the region illegally.

Sarma said he was hopeful that the Centre would continue with dialogue with the new dispensation in Bangladesh and that concerns of the northeastern states would be at the forefront.

"We are concerned about the recent developments in Bangladesh and if the trouble continues, we fear that it will affect the region from two angles," the chief minister told reporters on the sidelines of an event in Dergaon.

The border between the two countries has to be protected as "people from the neighbouring country may try to enter the region through the India-Bangladesh boundary", he said.

''During Sheikh Hasina's regime, insurgents from the northeast region were forced to leave Bangladesh. It will be a matter of concern for us that the neighbouring country may again become a hub of insurgents," the chief minister said.

There is no doubt that with the cooperation of the previous Bangladesh government, ''we have been successful in curbing extremist activities in North East India. I have full confidence that the new government in the neighbouring country will also maintain this cooperation'', he said.

The death toll in the anti-government protests in Bangladesh on Tuesday climbed to 440, according to local media, even as efforts were on by the army to bring the situation under control in the violence-hit nation.

Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus was on Tuesday appointed as the head of Bangladesh's interim government by President Mohammed Shahabuddin, a day after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country following deadly protests against her government over a controversial quota system in jobs.

With inputs from PTI

ALSO READ | Bangladesh Interim Govt To Be Sworn in Thursday Night: Army Chief Waker-Uz-Zaman