BSF pushes 70 people into Sylhet-Sunamganj border

At least 70 people were reportedly pushed into Bangladesh by India’s Border Security Force (BSF) early Thursday through border points in Sylhet and Sunamganj districts, officials confirmed.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) said it detained the individuals from multiple locations early Thursday after they crossed into Bangladeshi territory without documents.

According to BGB sources, 53 people were pushed in through the Mokampunji and Minatila borders in Jaintapur upazila and the Kalairag border in Companiganj upazila of Sylhet.

An additional 17 people entered through the Noakot border of Chhatak upazila in Sunamganj district.

In Jaintapur, 17 individuals — including four men, four women, and nine children from two families — were detained by Jaintapur Border Outpost (BOP). Seven were residents of Kurigram and ten from Lalmonirhat district.

Minatila BOP detained 23 people from four families, including nine men, seven women, and seven children — all reportedly from Kurigram district.

At Kalairag BOP in Companiganj, BGB detained 13 people from two families — four men, three women, and six children, also from Kurigram.

Meanwhile, 17 people from four families were pushed in through Chhonbari in Noakot BOP’s jurisdiction in Chhatak upazila of Sunamganj. The group comprised five men, four women, and eight children — all residents of Lalmonirhat district, according to BGB.

BGB officials said preliminary interrogation revealed that the individuals had been living in India for an extended period before being forcibly returned.

Lieutenant Colonel Md Nazmul Haque, commander of BGB’s 48th Battalion, confirmed the incident. “We have strengthened patrols to prevent illegal infiltration along the border. Legal procedures are underway regarding the detainees,” he said.

There was no immediate comment from Indian authorities regarding the push-in.