Barolekha-Juri (Moulvibazar) Correspondent:
Despite the alert position of BGB and increased patrols at Barolekha border in Moulvibazar, the push-ins of illegal Bangladeshi citizens by BSF have not stopped. BGB has detained 16 more people who were pushed in by BSF through the New Pallathol border area of the upazila.
On Thursday (May 15) morning, the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) pushed them back. The BGB confirmed that they were Bangladeshi citizens. In the afternoon, the detainees were handed over to Barolekha police.
Among the detainees, there are 14 women and 2 men. The arrested persons are Majidul Islam (45), Arzina Begum (35), Qayyum Boyati (35), Morsheda Begum (70), Nazma (38), Parveen Sheikh (35), Hazera Begum (45), Sunia Akhter (24), Parveen Begum (36), Khadija Akhter (25), Tania Akhter (35), Sheema Akhter (23), third gender Summan Ahmed (19), Sania (19), Nila (18) and Bhairavi (16). The arrested persons said that the BSF has detained more illegal Bangladeshi citizens on the other side of the border to push them.
Meanwhile, the BGB has intensified patrolling on the border since last Friday night. They have set up check posts on various roads and searched vehicles. Despite the security measures, no citizen has been reported to have been pushed on the border in the last four days. However, on Wednesday (May 14) morning, Border Guard Bangladesh BGB 52 Battalion arrested 44 people.
Later, they were handed over to Baralekha Police Station after interrogation. Despite strengthening security at the border to prevent illegal infiltration, questions have also been raised in various quarters about how the BSF is catching people and sending them to Bangladesh without the BGB’s knowledge.
On May 6 and 7, the BSF pushed back nearly a hundred people through various routes in the Baralekha border area, but the BGB detained 59 people and handed them over to the Baralekha Police Station. On Wednesday (May 14), 44 more people were detained. Later, the police released them into the custody of their families. So far, the BGB has detained 119 people through various routes in the Baralekha border area due to the BSF’s pushback.
North Shahbazpur UP Chairman Rafiq Uddin Ahmed said on Thursday afternoon that the BGB has detained 16 more people today. The BGB has learned after questioning that they are Bangladeshi citizens.
BGB-52 Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Mehedi Hasan PPM confirmed the arrest of 16 people on Thursday afternoon and said they have been handed over to the police station.
Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Barolekha Police Station Abul Kashem Sarkar said on Thursday evening that the BGB arrested 16 more people today and later handed them over to the police station. They will be handed over to the custody of their families after following due legal process.
