55 pushed in from India

Fifty-five people were pushed into Bangladesh from India through four border points along Sylhet and Sunamganj districts yesterday.

The incidents took place between 4:00am and 12:45pm as the individuals, in five groups, entered the country via four border points -- Noakot, Kalairag, Sreepur, and Tamabil, said Lt Col Md Nazmul Haque, commanding officer of Border Guard Bangladesh 48 Battalion in Sylhet.

The official said patrolling BGB members detained them, and they primarily admitted that they had entered India illegally. He added that the identities of the detainees were being verified, and legal procedures were underway to hand them over to respective police stations for further action.

Of the detainees, 12 are male, 33 are female, and 10 are children.

Quoting the detainees, the BGB official said 12 of them are from Jashore, 23 from Narail, four from Sylhet, 10 from Satkhira, two from Barishal, and one each from Kushtia, Khulna, Habiganj, and Narsingdi.

Since May 7, over 1,900 individuals, including around 120 Indian nationals and over 200 Rohingyas, have been forcibly pushed into Bangladesh by Indian authorities, according to official data.

This ongoing wave of push-ins comes at a time of strained bilateral relations between the two countries following Bangladesh's political changeover last August and is believed to be the largest of its kind in recent years.

Rights organisations have condemned the practice, saying it violates both bilateral protocols and international law, which require repatriation through legal and formal procedures.

Many of those pushed in have alleged abuse and mistreatment while in India. Several returnees were found with visible signs of torture, according to BGB sources.