Push-ins from India unacceptable, ready to step in if needed: Bangladesh Army

India Today

26-05-2025

A top officer of the Bangladesh Army on Monday said that "pushing in" of undocumented people by Indian authorities was "unacceptable" and the force was ready to step in if the need arose. Brigadier General Md Nazim-ud-Daula, the director of the Military Operations Directorate (MOD), said Bangladesh's border-guarding force, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), was handling the situation well for now.India has been rounding up Bangladeshis staying illegally in India and handing them over to BGB personnel. According to a 2016 government estimate, there are around 20 million illegal immigrants residing in India.advertisementThe handing over and expulsion of illegal immigrants has been termed "pushing in" by Dhaka, and it has said it would send back Indians staying illegally in Bangladesh through proper diplomatic channels.
The latest remarks by Brigadier General Nazim-ud-Daula, came as he was briefing the media after reports emerged of a rift between the Muhammad Yunus-led caretaker government and the Bangladesh Army headed by General Waker-Uz-Zaman."The government and the Bangladesh Army are working in close coordination and complementing each other. We follow the government's directives. There is no reason to interpret it otherwise," said Nazim-ud-Daula."Sometimes, even in families, there can be misunderstandings. Similarly, different stakeholders may express varying opinions in the course of running a country. But that does not mean there's division or conflict. Nothing of that sort has happened," he was quoted as saying by Dhaka-based The Daily Star.advertisementOn the reports of Indian authorities handing over illegal Bangladeshis staying in India, Nazim-ud-Daula said the army was ready to step in if the government instructed."The BGB handles the issue effectively. However, the army is prepared to step in if needed or upon government instruction. Regardless, the situation is not something we consider acceptable," he was quoted as saying by the Dhaka Tribune.He said the Bangladeshi border force was "managing well, within international protocols".Bangladesh Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury (Retired) had on May 18 said that if any Bangladeshi immigrant was staying illegally in India, they should be repatriated through proper channels.He also said that Indian nationals found staying illegally would be repatriated through proper diplomatic channels.Bangladesh does not engage in "push-ins like India but believes in resolving issues through diplomacy", Chowdhury was quoted as saying by The Dhaka Tribune."The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already written to India regarding the matter. Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain and National Security Adviser and Chief Adviser's High Representative on Rohingya Affairs Khalilur Rahman are maintaining diplomatic communication on the issue," he added.INDIA ROUNDING UP HUNDREDS OF BANGLADESHI ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTSIndian officials told The Hindu that undocumented Bangladeshi migrants detained across the country were being handed over through the eastern border.advertisementAround 100 Bangladeshis were handed over to BGB personnel till April 30 this year, while 295 were sent back in 2024, an official told The Hindu.Jaipur Police detained 500 Rohingya and Bangladeshi illegals in January. Over 1,000 illegal Bangladeshi immigrants were detained in Ahmedabad and Surat in April.On May 25, Kolkata Police arrested a 41-year-old in a hit-and-run case involving a cop. An investigation revealed that the accused, Azad Sheikh, is a Bangladeshi national living illegally in India without valid documents.Large-scale illegal immigration has also been blamed for the recent riots in West Bengal's Murshidabad.Bengal and Assam are the worst-hit when it comes to illegal immigration from Bangladesh.The Supreme Court had on February 4 directed the Assam government to expedite the deportation of individuals declared as foreigners. But the reality is that, on the ground, it is a very complicated process.India and Bangladesh share a 4,096.7-km-long border, which till recently was mostly porous. In February, the Home Ministry said 3,232 km of the Indo-Bangla border had been fenced.The Indo-Bangla border passes through rivers, islands, enclaves and exclaves, treacherous terrain, and even densely populated villages.advertisementThe BGB has itself prevented India from putting up barbed-wire fences along the border. The latest friction between the BGB and India's Border Security Force (BSF) came in January this year. A 1975 agreement between India and Bangladesh also comes in the way of fencing the border.As millions of Bangladeshi illegal immigrants are staying in India, and scores crossing over, it is tough for India to resort to diplomatic channels to send the aliens back.Must Watch