Tensions flared anew along the Baraibari border in Panchagarh on Sunday after the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) made another attempt to push 10 men, women, and children into Bangladesh, leaving the group stranded at the zero line for over 60 hours.
Around noon, when the BSF tried again to force the group into Bangladesh from the zero line on the Indian side, fresh tension gripped the border area. Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) took a firm stance to handle the situation, stepping up surveillance and patrols.
The crisis began on Friday morning when the BSF first attempted to push the 10 individuals – including women and children – into Bangladesh. Faced with BGB resistance, they could not enter.
Flag meetings were subsequently held at the company and battalion levels, but the BSF refused to take the group back.
Since then, the stranded individuals have been trapped in uncertainty in the no man’s land between the two countries. Bangladesh is not accepting them as an illegal push-in, nor is India taking them back onto its own territory.
As a result, they have been living in miserable conditions at the zero line for more than three days.
Lt Colonel Md Sirajul Islam, commander of the Nilphamari 56 BGB battalion, confirmed the incident.
“BSF has attempted to push 10 men, women, and children into Bangladesh from opposite our Baraibari camp. A flag meeting was held at the battalion level, but the BSF refused to take them back,” he said.
He added that the stranded individuals are currently located on Indian territory inside India.
“BGB’s round-the-clock surveillance and patrol activities have been strengthened to prevent any kind of push-in and illegal infiltration at the border,” the commander said.
