To prevent the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) from forcibly pushing people, including women and children, into Bangladesh, a large number of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel have been deployed along the borders of 26 districts.
BGB members are guarding the border around the clock in four shifts, with local residents in several border areas also assisting in surveillance efforts.
According to BGB and multiple border sources, the BSF has been gathering groups of men, women, and children at various border points in preparation for push-in attempts. In some cases, after failing to force them into Bangladesh, BSF personnel reportedly took some individuals back. However, most have not been allowed to re-enter India and are said to be living in inhumane conditions in open areas.
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed told journalists that border conditions, bilateral cooperation, and, in particular, illegal push-ins would be raised as key issues at the director general-level meeting between BGB and the BSF.
Speaking at the Secretariat, he said: "All issues will be discussed there. We are addressing these matters through diplomatic channels, and our border guards remain alert. The government is prepared to resist any attempt at illegal push-ins. However, such problems should primarily be resolved through diplomatic discussions."
Foreign Affairs Minister Shama Obaed said the ongoing push-in attempts are not helping India's efforts to improve relations with Bangladesh. She added that BGB is strongly resisting such attempts and that any push-in operation conducted outside established procedures is unacceptable.
Referring to the 12–13 letters sent to India on the issue, she said there is a formal process for repatriating individuals residing illegally in another country and that India should follow that procedure.
Meanwhile, BGB reportedly foiled 21 BSF push-in attempts between Wednesday and Saturday. More than 200 people were allegedly involved in those incidents.
Against this backdrop, the 57th Director General-level conference between BGB and the BSF is being held in New Delhi from June 8 to June 11. According to BGB, illegal push-ins, the killing of Bangladeshis along the border, and broader border management issues are expected to feature prominently in the discussions.
Senior BGB officials said additional personnel have been deployed to strengthen patrols and intelligence surveillance along the country's 4,156-kilometre border with India, covering vulnerable points across 26 districts. Plainclothes BGB members have also intensified intelligence-gathering activities.
According to BGB headquarters, border points in the 26 districts considered vulnerable to push-in attempts have been identified, and patrols and intelligence surveillance have been strengthened in those areas. The districts include Chuadanga, Meherpur, Jashore, Satkhira, Kushtia, Jhenaidah, Feni, Moulvibazar, Mymensingh, Netrokona, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Khagrachhari, Thakurgaon, Dinajpur, Joypurhat, Cumilla, Sylhet, Habiganj, Sunamganj, Chapainawabganj, Naogaon, Nilphamari, Panchagarh, Brahmanbaria, and Sherpur.
BGB prevents 21 push-in attempts
According to the BGB, the BSF allegedly attempted on Monday to push seven people through the Tetulbaria border in Meherpur, 11 through the Mashalgoan border in Haripur, Thakurgaon, and five through the Birampur border in Dinajpur. The attempts were thwarted due to the firm stance of BGB personnel and local residents.
BGB also claimed that since June 3 it has prevented the push-in of 186 people in 18 separate incidents at various border points.
Key issues at the Delhi Conference
According to BGB headquarters, illegal push-ins and the deaths of Bangladeshis along the border are expected to dominate discussions at the four-day conference in New Delhi.
BGB Deputy Director General (Media) Col Abul Hasnat Mahmud Azam told Prothom Alo that discussions would focus on measures to stop the forced push-in of Indian nationals and displaced Myanmar nationals into Bangladesh.
BGB will also seek effective measures to prevent the killing, injury, and torture of unarmed Bangladeshi citizens by BSF personnel, Indian nationals, and criminal groups operating along the border.
Other agenda items include preventing illegal infiltration, curbing the smuggling of narcotics, weapons, and other prohibited goods from India into Bangladesh, combating human trafficking, addressing border law violations, and halting the construction of unauthorised infrastructure—including barbed-wire fences—within 150 yards of the international border.
Allegations of border killings
Apart from push-ins, allegations of border killings by the BSF have also resurfaced.
According to data from Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), 34 Bangladeshi citizens were killed by BSF personnel in 2025. Of them, 24 were shot dead, while 10 allegedly died due to torture.
ASK data also shows that 30 Bangladeshis were killed along the border in 2024 and 31 in 2023.