BSF sends back 1,000 men, mostly Hindus at India-Bangladesh border in Cooch Behar district

Tension at India-Bangladesh border as BSF foils Bangladeshi nationals' attempt to seek refuge in India.

Tension prevailed at the Sitalkuchi fenced land border area of Cooch Behar district in West Bengal on Friday, August 9, 2024, after panicked Bangladeshi nationals, numbering nearly a thousand, assembled on the other side of the fence in their bid to cross over to India and seek refuge.

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The attempt was, however, foiled by the BSF which maintained a strict vigil at the border. The Bangladeshis were later removed from the spot by the Border Guards Bangladesh personnel, the Border Security Force confirmed.

The crowd, allegedly comprising mostly Bangladeshi Hindus, assembled some 400 metres away from the fence alongside a water body at the Genduguri and Doikhawa villages in the Lalmonirhat district of Bangladesh.

Heavy deployment of the 157 Battalion of the BSF at the Pathantuli village, maintaining vigil on automobiles and on foot, made the infiltration bid of the foreigners impossible.

The disappointed Bangladeshis were heard raising slogans in support of their demand for entry into Indian soil.

When inquired about the incident, a senior BSF official confirmed that a large number of Bangladeshis had assembled at the border but were later taken back by the BGB.