United News of Bangladesh

The Kushtia Battalion (47 BGB) has intensified public awareness activities along the Kushtia and Meherpur borders to prevent push-ins from India, illegal border crossings and smuggling. The awareness campaign includes miking, discussion meetings and rallies in border areas, according to a press release issued by the battalion on Wednesday. The BGB said border residents have been urged not to cross the border illegally or assist anyone or any group in doing so. Through miking, locals are also being asked to immediately inform the nearest BGB camp or patrol team if they notice any suspicious person or group, anyone hiding their identity, an attempt to push someone into Bangladesh from India or the illegal entry of an Indian national into Bangladesh. Residents have also been advised against unnecessary movement near the border, providing shelter to strangers or suspicious people and involvement in criminal activities, including drug and arms trafficking, human trafficking and smuggling. The BGB said cooperation from border residents is essential to maintaining security and law and order along the frontier. It urged locals to immediately report any suspicious person, object or activity to the BGB. The battalion said intelligence gathering, surveillance and special operations are continuing to protect the border, prevent push-ins and illegal crossings, and curb drug trafficking and smuggling. These activities will be strengthened further depending on the situation. The BGB warned that legal action would be taken against anyone found directly or indirectly assisting illegal border crossings. Informants will also be rewarded while keeping their identities confidential, it said. Lieutenant Colonel Rashed Kamal Rony, commander of 47 BGB, said awareness meetings and miking have been underway along the Kushtia and Meherpur borders since Tuesday. "Such awareness campaigns are conducted from time to time. The border situation is currently normal," he said. He stressed the need for cooperation between the BGB and local residents to ensure border security and urged people to immediately inform the BGB about any suspicious incident.

For 12-year-old Rozina Akhter, life was once centred on school, family and dreams of a brighter future. A sixth-grade student at a school in Kolkata, India, Rozina had been living with her parents and five siblings in West Bengal. Today, however, she finds herself stranded along the Bangladesh-India border, uncertain about what lies ahead. Rozina is among 11 people — including women, men and children — who were allegedly pushed towards the Bangladesh border by India's Border Security Force (BSF) at the Mashalgaon border in Haripur upazila of Thakurgaon early Friday. Nearly 48 hours later, no solution has been reached despite two rounds of flag meetings between border authorities. As a result, the group has been forced to spend three days in difficult conditions near the border. They have been struggling with limited food and drinking water under scorching sun and rain. Local residents of the Mashalgaon border area have provided some dry food on humanitarian grounds, but it remains insufficient for the stranded families. Among them is Rozina's mother, who is nine months pregnant, and her younger brother, who has a disability. Overwhelmed by uncertainty, Rozina says she only wants to return home and resume her studies.  

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Sunday said all important border-related issues including push-ins across the frontier will be discussed at the four-day director general-level meeting between the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and India's Border Security Force (BSF). “The DG-level meeting is held alternately in Bangladesh and India. This time it is our turn to visit India. All relevant issues will be discussed there,” he told reporters at Secretariat. Bangladesh is already engaging with India through diplomatic channels on border-related concerns while the country's border guards remain on alert.  “We will, InshaAllah, resist all attempts of border push-ins. However, these issues should primarily be resolved through diplomatic discussions,” he added. The 57th Director General (DG)-level border conference between Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and India’s Border Security Force (BSF) will be held in New Delhi from June 8 to 11. A 15-member Bangladesh delegation, led by BGB Director General Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui, will participate in the four-day conference. The Indian delegation will be led by the BSF Director General and will comprise senior BSF officials as well as representatives from India's Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of External Affairs and other relevant agencies. This is the first DG-level talks between the border guard forces of the two countries since the BNP government came to power in February this year.