NEW DELHI: Border Security Force on Wednesday prevented a group of over 120-140 of Bangladeshi nationals from entering the Indian territory, an official said.
“A large group of Bangladesh nationals gathered in patches at various locations at the International Border along North Bengal today evening,” the official said.
“They were attempting to sneak into Indian territory.They were dispersed with the help of Border Guard Bangladesh, Civil Administration and BSF personnel,” the officer added.
This comes after violent protests escalated in the neighbouring country forcing Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee on Monday. The protests that began as a students’ dissent against preferential quota in government jobs, turned violent and killed over 300 since June.
The BSF field commanders reached out to their counterparts in the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and the group, including women and children, were halted and instructed to turn back, according to officials.
The incident occurred during the day at two sites within the jurisdiction of the North Bengal Frontier, which is headquartered in Kadamtala, Darjeeling.
The North Bengal Frontier of the BSF oversees a 932.39 km section of the 4,096-km India-Bangladesh international border, covering the West Bengal districts of Uttar Dinajpur, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, and Cooch Behar.