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Bangladesh border force refuses to return five Indians who strayed across
The Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) has so far refused to return five Indian nationals whose boat strayed into Bangladesh’s territorial waters
The Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) has so far refused to return five Indian nationals whose boat strayed into Bangladesh’s territorial waters despite several flag meetings on Sunday and Monday with India’s BSF (Border Security Force), officials aware of the matter said on Monday.
The BGB personnel cited the “current political situation” in Bangladesh and declined to release the five men, a senior Indian officer aware of the matter said, adding that this is the first time in recent years that the BGB has refused to return Indian boatmen who strayed into Bangladesh accidentally.
Senior BSF officials aware of the case said that on the night of August 17, BSF personnel of the 115 battalion at Malda hired five boat operators in two boats to rescue cattle that was smuggled into Bangladesh via the riverine border.
“Our personnel noticed a suspicious object floating in the Ganga River. The jawan immediately alerted the Quick Reaction Team (QRT) and the Engine-Fitted Country Boat (EFCB) Party via radio. In response, two EFC boats, manned by five boatmen, arrived at the scene and discovered that cattle were being smuggled across the river, tied to banana stems. While attempting to save the cattle, one of the EFC boats developed technical defects after hitting a whirlpool in the surging river and was quickly carried away by the strong currents. The second EFC boat tried to tow the defective boat, but due to the increased water level and strong flow of the river, both boats inadvertently crossed into Bangladeshi territory, where these boatmen were apprehended by the Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB),” another official said.
The South Bengal frontier’s headquarters and senior officials informed the BGB personnel over the phone. When BGB jawans, who had caught the five Indian nationals, refused to release the men, a flag meeting was held.
“A flag meeting was promptly held between BSF and BGB officials, during which BSF officials explained that the detained individuals were employed by the BSF as EFCB operators. They clarified that due to an engine failure while seizing cattle in the Ganga river, the boat operators accidentally crossed the international border into Bangladesh. The BSF emphasised that the incident occurred during official duty, and the operators had no ill intentions. They urged the BGB to return the operators in the interest of maintaining coordination and good relations between the two border guarding forces. However, BGB officials refused to return the operators, citing the current situation in Bangladesh and handed them over to local police authorities,” the official added.
When contacted, AK Arya, deputy inspector general (DIG) of the BSF’s South Bengal frontier, confirmed the incident and said, “Several flag meetings were held subsequently and BGB was asked to return the Indian boatmen in the interest of maintaining good relations between the forces but BGB declined to hand over the Indian boatmen to us. This is the first time that BGB has not returned the Indian boatmen who crossed into Bangladesh inadvertently.”
Since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ouster from her government on August 5 and the regime change in Bangladesh, the BSF in its statements has maintained that the BGB personnel have been taking steps to protect Indian nationals and those from minority communities in Bangladesh. But many mid-level officials in the BSF that HT spoke to are apprehensive that the regime change could lead to changes in the BGB too and recalled that the relationship between the two forces was not amicable in the years when Hasina was not in power during the early 2000s.
