Bangladesh Boosts Patrols Over India Forced Crossings
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- Bangladesh's border guards have intensified patrols and launched public awareness campaigns in the Brahmanbaria district to deter illegal push‑ins from India, using loudspeakers to warn residents.
- India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has asked Bangladesh to verify the nationality of more than 2,860 people suspected of being Bangladeshis living illegally, framing undocumented migration as a priority.
- Lieutenant‑Colonel S. M. Shariful Islam, commander of the 60th Battalion of Border Guard Bangladesh, said the battalion began miking in border villages on May 24, using loudspeakers to alert locals.
- Border Guard Bangladesh has also stepped up surveillance and intelligence operations to prevent human trafficking, drug smuggling, and other illegal activities along the frontier.
- Assam's Indian authorities have pushed back hundreds of people into Bangladesh since May 2025, a practice that human‑rights groups say involves arbitrary expulsions of individuals declared foreigners by tribunals.
Why it matters: The intensified patrols and loud‑speaker alerts give Bangladesh a direct means to deter forced push‑ins and curb smuggling, while India’s demand to verify over 2,860 suspected Bangladeshis heightens bilateral tension and pressures Bangladesh’s immigration system, potentially affecting cross‑border trade and community safety.
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