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The BSF is the designated armed force guarding the 4,096-km-long India-Bangladesh border. (Representative image: PTI)
The infiltrators are being interrogated and will be handed over to the respective state police for further legal action.
Eleven Bangladeshi nationals were arrested while trying to infiltrate into India through the international borders in West Bengal, Tripura and Meghalaya, the Border Security Force (BSF) said on Sunday.
A BSF spokesperson said they are being questioned and will be handed over to the respective state police for further legal action.
He also said that the Border Security Force is in regular contact with the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) to resolve common issues, especially to prevent atrocities against Indian nationals and Bangladeshi minority communities.
Last week, the Union Home Ministry constituted a committee under the BSF Additional Director General (ADG) (Eastern Command) to look into the safety and security issues faced by minorities in Bangladesh after the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government.
The BSF is the designated armed force responsible for guarding the 4,096-km-long India-Bangladesh border, which spans five eastern states: West Bengal (2,217 km), Tripura (856 km), Meghalaya (443 km), Assam (262 km) and Mizoram (318 km). The force has been on “high alert” since the collapse of Hasina's government and unrest in neighboring countries.
Over the past few days, border forces, with the help of the Bangladesh Border Security Agency, have foiled multiple infiltration attempts at many points along the Bangladesh border and repatriated thousands of Bangladeshis.
The Kolkata-based South Bengal Border Force said in a statement that Ravi Gandhi, deputy commander-in-chief of its Eastern Command, chaired an operational meeting on Saturday to review “amid the current unrest in Bangladesh” and the upcoming 8 Security conditions along the border during Independence Day on September 15.
The statement said, “Eleven Bangladeshi citizens were arrested at the border while infiltrating into India. Two each were arrested at the West Bengal and Tripura borders, and seven were arrested at the Meghalaya border. The spokesperson said, “The meeting Further strengthening of border controls, security and management were discussed in detail. “In addition, we have decided to continue working closely with BGB,” he said.
He said the BSF has been holding flag meetings with the BGB to amicably resolve common issues, especially preventing atrocities against Indian nationals and Bangladeshi minority communities, to which the BGB has responded well.
The force also directed its personnel to ensure there is no infiltration from Bangladesh and to use “non-lethal weapons” if needed.
The Tripura Border Force also stated that its chief, an inspector general-level officer, had informed the force of “the prison break in Kashimpur, Bangladesh, and advised them to maintain high vigilance when patrolling the border areas to prevent any Infiltration Attempt” August 9-10.
After Hasina stepped down, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was sworn in in Dhaka.
(This report has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from associated news agency – PTI)
