Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Director General Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui has expressed disagreement with the statements made by India’s Border Security Force (BSF) Director General Daljit Singh Chaudhary regarding push-ins and border killings along the Bangladesh-India border.
During the 56th BGB-BSF Director General-level conference held in Dhaka, Singh denied recent allegations of push-ins, claiming that “Bangladeshis who entered India illegally are simply returning.” He argued that there was no specific reason behind reports of over two thousand push-ins during the interim government’s tenure, despite no such incidents occurring in the past 15 years.
However, BGB Chief Siddiqui refuted the BSF chief’s claims, stating that many incidents of border killings occurred in broad daylight, with unarmed civilians being shot dead. “Most of the victims are ordinary villagers living near the border. Unarmed people can never pose a threat to armed BSF personnel,” he said. Siddiqui confirmed that Bangladesh has urged India to stop using lethal weapons along the border.
The BGB chief also emphasised the importance of addressing cases where individuals cross the border accidentally without engaging in criminal activity. He called for such cases to be handled lawfully, with individuals being returned through proper legal processes.
Siddiqui further expressed concern over the constant fear felt by border residents and urged both forces to work more closely to resolve border issues peacefully.
While both sides agreed on measures to prevent border killings and push-ins, BSF’s proposed confidence-building initiatives were welcomed by the BGB. The conference also reaffirmed the commitment to “zero tolerance” for armed groups along the border and agreed on various steps to strengthen border security and combat cross-border crimes.