BGB DG Maj Gen Md Shafeenul Islam briefing reporters at BGB headquarters in Dhaka on Thursday, January 2, 2019. Photo: Shariful Islam

At least 445 Bangladeshis were detained in the last two months while returning home from India without any travel documents.   

Director General of Border Guard Bangladesh Maj Gen Md Shafeenul Islam said this at a press conference at the BGB headquarters yesterday.

He also mentioned that 1,102 people were detained last year while illegally crossing the Indo-Bangla border. They included 258 women and 235 children.

At least 253 cases were filed for trespassing during the period, he added.

Shafeenul was briefing reporters on the December 25-30 director general-level conference between the BGB and India’s Border Security Force in New Delhi.

Asked whether the BGB was concerned over the recent border crossings, he said

they were not worried as the intruders were Bangladeshis.

“They are all Bangladeshis and went to India in search of jobs,” said the DG, adding that local union parishad chairmen had verified their identities.

“We are always on guard to prevent trespassing.”

The number of returnees from India rose in the last two months after the Indian government published the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam in August, leaving 19 lakh people in the northeastern state virtually stateless.

India also amended its citizenship law sparking violent protests.

The Bangladesh foreign minister and the home minister cancelled their planned visits to India as protests flared. 

Yesterday, the BGB chief said there was no discussion over the NRC at the director general-level meeting.

Replying to a query, he said there was no tension between the two border forces.

Shafeenul said the BGB was planning to buy some modern weapons and ammunition to beef up security along borders with Myanmar.

The force also plans to purchase speedboats to patrol the Indo-Bangla border along the Padma and the Sundarbans, and also the Myanmar-Bangladesh border along the Naf river.

Asked about the rise in border killings, the BGB chief said they had expressed concern over it at the DG-level talks.

“The DG of BSF assured me that they will be more careful and cautious to avoid border killings.” 

According to the BGB’s count, 35 Bangladeshis were killed in the border areas last year, he added.