India using remote areas to push people in

India is targeting remote and uninhabited border areas to push people into Bangladesh, said the chief of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) yesterday, terming the move "well-orchestrated and unjust".

So far, the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) has pushed in 280 individuals between May 7 and May 9 through these isolated, hard-to-monitor locations, he added.

"As far as we know, they are trying to push in another 200 to 300 people," Maj Gen Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui, director general of the BGB, told reporters at the Ministry of Home Affairs.

These individuals, including Rohingyas, were pushed in through remote areas such as Panchhari, Jamini Para, and Khedachhara in Khagrachhari; parts of Moulvibazar; the Roumari char regions of Kurigram; and the remote Mandarbaria island in the Sundarbans.

"These locations are difficult for our patrols to access quickly, and that's exactly why they're being used," Siddiqui said.

Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, adviser to the Ministry of Home Affairs, was also present during the briefing, which was followed by a meeting of the Advisory Council Committee on Law and Order.

The BGB chief said five Rohingya individuals -- each holding UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees)-issued refugee cards from India -- were among those forcibly pushed across the border.

He called the move a clear violation of international human rights norms.

"These five Rohingyas were not undocumented. They were officially registered with UNHCR in India. We have verified their IDs," Siddiqui said. "This is unacceptable."

BGB officials said they have raised the issue with the UNHCR in Bangladesh and notified the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) for the next step.

A formal complaint is also being filed.

According to the BGB's database, on May 7 and 8, they intercepted 202 individuals.

Of them, 80 were pushed in through various borders in Khagrachhari, 76 from Moulvibazar, and 46 from Kurigram.

Among them were 39 Rohingyas, some of whom had previously been registered in Bangladesh's FDMN (Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals) camps but later crossed into India.

"They fled the camps, entered India, and have now been sent back. We have already re-registered and relocated them back to the camps through proper channels," said Maj Gen Siddiqui.

The remaining 163 individuals were Bangladeshi nationals who had migrated to India over the past 20 to 25 years. "Some had Indian Aadhaar cards or other documents, which the BSF confiscated before forcing them back," the BGB chief added.

After verification by law enforcement and intelligence agencies, those confirmed to be Bangladeshi are being returned to their home districts via the local administration, he said.

Meanwhile, steps have been taken to hand over 78 individuals to their families who were left behind by BSF on Mandarbaria island in the western Sundarbans of Satkhira's Shyamnagar upazila last Friday.

Three of them, however, were found to be Indian nationals, said Humayun Kabir, officer-in-charge of the Shyamnagar Police Station.

"They have been charged with illegal entry," he said, adding that the remaining 75 are Bangladeshi nationals and will be handed over to their families.

Mashiur Rahman, an officer from the Mongla West Zone of the Coast Guard, filed a case against the three Indian citizens, the OC said.

The BGB DG said they have raised the issue with the BSF. However, the BSF either denied involvement or claimed that the individuals returned voluntarily.

"We have strongly protested this through flag meetings and official letters. We expect all repatriations to happen through formal diplomatic channels, not under the cover of darkness," he said.

"We have also learned that around 200 to 300 more such refugees are currently on the other side of the Khagrachhari border. The BSF has been trying to push them into Bangladesh," said Siddiqui.

However, due to increased patrols and heightened vigilance, they have not succeeded, he added.