A 48-hour standoff at the Bangladesh-India border has ended after India’s Border Security Force (BSF) took back 11 people who were stranded at the zero line.
The group had faced difficult conditions in the Mashalgaon border area of Thakurgaon. They were finally moved back into India around 3:00 am on Monday, according to Lieutenant Colonel Abdullah Al Moin Hasan of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).
The group included three men, four women, and four children. Among them were a nine-month-pregnant woman, her young disabled son, and her school-aged daughter.
The situation began early Thursday when Indian forces allegedly tried to push the group into Bangladesh. A BGB patrol team quickly arrived and stopped them from entering, leaving the group stranded exactly on the border line between the two countries.
When questioned by the BGB, the individuals said they had been living in the Dum Dum area of West Bengal, India. They claimed Indian police detained them on May 26 and held them in a camp with hundreds of other people.
They said the larger group was later broken up and sent to different border points. This specific group of 11 was kept at a BSF camp for a day before being brought to the border at night.
In response to the incident, the BGB has increased its patrols and security in the area to prevent any more illegal crossings. Lieutenant Colonel Hasan stated that his forces remain on high alert.
These forced border crossings will be a major topic in upcoming meetings between the two countries. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed stated on Sunday that border security issues will be discussed during a four-day meeting between the heads of the BGB and BSF, which is scheduled to take place in India.
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