Refugee Exodus Prompts New Security Measures at Indo-Bangladesh Broder: BSF

Indian border guards have ramped up security after an attempt by thousands of Bangladeshis to enter the country. The Border Security Force (BSF) turned away more than a thousand Bangladeshi men who had gathered at the India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal's Cooch Behar district on Friday without any luggage, attempting to enter India.

Almost 1,500 people assembled on the Bangladeshi side within Lalmonirhat district of the Indo-Bangla border, in the afternoon, BSF Eastern Command Additional Director General (ADG) Ravi Gandhi told Sputnik India.

The officer said that their exact motives were unclear, but they were not permitted to cross the border without proper documents and they were told to follow established procedures.

"They had departed on the same day at 4 pm, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and the local district administration from Lalmonirhat district were present and had also encouraged their departure," Gandhi said. "They must have been misled, which brought them here, but they have since returned, and we haven't encountered any similar situation since then."

Following the unrest the BSF issued a new operational alert, with all officers and resources deployed along the border, he noted.

Along with its counterparts in the BGB, the BSF is cooperating on the measures, as is the Indian district administration, he added, ensuring that "the situation is under control and remains normal."

The ADG stated that officials in Delhi are fully informed about the situation, with the force headquarters maintaining contact with the Home Ministry.

"The continuous crossing of the Indo-Bangladesh border by immigrants is a routine matter for the Border Security Force (BSF), which is tasked with handling such incidents," Gandhi said. "Once caught, the individuals are either turned over to local police or, if they have crossed inadvertently, handed over to the BGB, as part of standard procedures along the 4,096 km border."

Meanwhile, on Friday, Indian Home Minister Amit Shah announced the formation of a high-level committee, headed by the ADG, BSF Eastern Command, to oversee the situation along India's eastern border.

"In the wake of the ongoing situation in Bangladesh, the Modi government has constituted a committee to monitor the current situation on the Indo-Bangladesh Border (IBB)," Shah posted on X. "The committee will maintain communication channels with their counterpart authorities in Bangladesh to ensure the safety and security of Indian nationals, Hindus, and other minority communities living there."

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