Pushback Bid Sparks Tension Along Sribhumi’s Indo-Bangla Border

A Correspondent

Silchar: An alleged attempt to push back illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators to Bangladesh triggered tension in South Karimganj of the Sribhumi district across the Indo-Bangla border.

A face-off between the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) occurred in the Bilbari area of South Karimganj after an attempt to push back from the Indian side was resisted by the border security force of Bangladesh.

The situation remained tense throughout the day. The confrontation began when an attempt was made to push a group of Bangladeshi nationals towards the New Pallathal area on the Bangladesh side of the border.

The BGB allegedly objected to the move and prevented the group from entering Bangladeshi territory.

Residents of the nearby villages on the other side of the border assembled carrying knives, sticks and bamboo poles to assist BGB to foil the alleged pushback.

Video footage shows BGB personnel at the Pallathal border outpost making announcements through a loudspeaker, appealing to the local residents not to allow anyone from the other side of the border to enter their village. The video footage further showed the BGB personnel issuing warnings to the BSF through loudspeakers, urging it not to undertake any 'illegal pushback' and to move away from the border. The BGB reportedly warned it would fire if the situation escalated and people were not withdrawn.

Also Read: Assam floods affect 1,541 people across three districts