India and Bangladesh discussed “illegal, inadvertent, forcible crossing in border areas” during the director-general-level talks between the heads of the two nations’ border guarding forces in Delhi, the Border Security Force said in a statement on Friday.
Sources in the security establishment said the alleged forcible “push-ins” of suspected Bangladeshi nationals by India were taken up by the Bangladeshi delegation during the four-day conference.
Over the past month, the recent push-ins have resulted in confrontations between the BSF and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) at several border points.
Last week, tensions erupted along the India-Bangladesh border in Meghalaya when the BSF detained a suspected Bangladeshi and
initiated the process of sending him back across the border. The BGB reportedly refused to accept the individual after he was taken to the border and questioned about the suspect’s nationality.
The situation escalated as a large number of locals gathered on both sides of the international boundary. The crowd soon turned agitated, leading to stone-throwing from both sides. “During the deliberations, both sides held detailed discussions on measures to effectively prevent trans-border crimes, including smuggling of narcotics, arms, counterfeit currency, gold and other contraband, as well as illegal border crossings and human trafficking,” the BSF said in a statement.
“The two delegations also discussed issues relating to border deaths and illegal/ inadvertent/ forcible crossing at the border areas, construction of border infrastructure, implementation of the coordinated border management plan, confidence-building measures and the need for closer cooperation in addressing emerging security challenges along the border.”
The 57th DG-level conference between the BSF and BGB was held in Delhi from June 8 to 11. This is the first time in the history of the DG-level talks that the customary joint press conference by the two border-guarding forces was not held.
The conference took place at a time when the Narendra Modi government’s detect-detain-deport policy on “infiltrators”, involving the summary expulsion of illegal immigrants into Bangladesh without bothering with legal or diplomatic niceties, has sparked intense diplomatic friction and drawn a firm protest from Dhaka over the “push-in” policy. The move has also triggered allegations of human rights violations and the victimisation of genuine Indian citizens.
Over the past few months, the BSF has reportedly pushed into Bangladesh a large number of “infiltrators”, particularly from BJP-ruled Assam, Delhi, Gujarat, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Maharashtra.
The Indian delegation was led by BSF director-general Praveen Kumar, while the Bangladesh team was led by BGB director-general Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui.
“The conference has been conducted in a cordial, positive and forward-looking atmosphere, reflecting the enduring cooperation and mutual trust between the two border guarding forces. As the highest-level bilateral mechanism between BSF and BGB, the border coordination conference provides an important platform to review the prevailing border situation and discuss issues of mutual concern relating to border security and border management,” the BSF statement said.
It added that both sides reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining peace, tranquillity and stability along the border. They agreed to strengthen coordinated patrols, enhance the vigil, improve real-time information sharing and intensify joint efforts against trans-border criminal networks.