India attempts to forcibly push 8 people into Bangladesh
Border guards say they intercepted group after Indian personnel allegedly made them swim across river, as tensions rise over India's treatment of suspected undocumented migrants
DHAKA, Bangladesh (MNTV) — Bangladesh’s border force on Friday said it prevented Indian authorities from forcing eight people across the border by making them swim across a river, describing the incident as the latest in a series of cross-border “push-ins” that have strained ties between the two neighbors.
The incident occurred before dawn near the border in Kushtia district in western Bangladesh, according to the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), which accused India’s Border Security Force (BSF) of attempting to send the group across the river into Bangladeshi territory.
The group consisted of two men, four women and two transgender people. BGB personnel on patrol detected the alleged crossing attempt and intercepted the group before they entered Bangladesh, the border force said.
According to the BGB, members of the BSF’s Char Meghna border post allegedly instructed the group to swim across the river into Bangladesh. After Bangladeshi border guards confronted them and local residents gathered at the riverbank, the group was forced to swim back to the Indian side, the BGB said.
Indian authorities did not immediately comment on the allegation.
The incident comes amid mounting diplomatic tensions over what Bangladesh describes as a growing pattern of Indian authorities expelling people across the frontier without completing formal nationality verification or deportation procedures.
Since India intensified its campaign against suspected undocumented migrants, Bangladesh has repeatedly accused New Delhi of carrying out unilateral “push-ins” instead of following established repatriation mechanisms.
Bangladeshi officials say they have lodged multiple diplomatic protests, arguing that nationality must be verified before anyone is returned across the border.
The issue has drawn additional scrutiny because several people previously pushed into Bangladesh were later identified as Indian citizens.
Rights groups and lawyers have warned that Bengali-speaking Muslims have been disproportionately affected by the crackdown, with some detained or expelled after being accused of being Bangladeshi nationals without adequate due process.
The dispute has emerged as one of the most contentious issues in India-Bangladesh relations this year, with Bangladesh insisting that any return of suspected undocumented migrants must take place through mutually agreed legal procedures rather than unilateral expulsions across the border.
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