Indian Border Security Force (BSF) has forcibly pushed in 19 Bangladeshi nationals across the Sonapur border in Meherpur’s Mujibnagar upazila early Sunday.
The group consisted of 9 children, 5 men and 5 women, and they were taken into custody by Mujibnagar Police Station.
According to the statements given by the group, they had been staying and working in the Indian state of Haryana after illegally crossing the border at different times. After being reported by the people to the police, they were arrested and detained for six to seven days before being handed over to the BSF. They were later pushed through the barbed wire border by the BSF in the early hours of Sunday.
Media reports quoting Mujibnagar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mizanur Rahman said, “All 19 are claiming to be Bangladeshis. However, none of them has a national identity card. As a result, it is not possible to confirm whether they are actually Bangladeshis or not. They have claimed to the police that they are residents of various districts of North Bengal including Nilphamari and Kurigram. Action will be taken according to the law after verifying the names and addresses given by them.”