The 57th four-day director general-level talks between the Border Guard Bangladesh and the Indian Border Security Force begins today in India’s capital New Delhi amid a face-off between the two forces, especially over pushing people into Bangladesh.
The border guards of the two neighbouring countries engaged in showdowns at many points, with the BGB resisting BSF bids to push people into Bangladesh and set up barbed wire fence in 150 yards of the no-man’s-land in violation of the international law.
BSF push-in bids have become a recurrent phenomenon after India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s landslide election victory in the West Bengal state in early May.
Besides, killing of Bangladeshis along border by the Indian border force has also become a regular affair.
Against such a backdrop, killing of Bangladeshis along border by the BSF, illegal push-in of people into Bangladesh, and repatriating illegal migrants would be high on the agenda in the talks, according to BGB headquarters officials.
A 15-member delegation, led by BGB director general Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui, will attend the four-day programme that will end on June 11.
Alongside the BGB functioneries, officials of the Prime Minister’s Office, home ministry, foreign ministry, joint river commission, and Department of Land Records and Surveys will also attend the talks.
The BGB-BSF DG-level conference is held twice annually, alternately once in New Delhi and once in Dhaka.
In the concluding day of the 56th BGB-BSF summit at the BGB Pilkhana headquarters in Dhaka on August 28, 2025, the BSF had repeated the promise that it would bring down the border killing to zero.
The BGB had also protested at the push-ins of people through the border by the BSF in that summit.
Despite repeated BSF pledges, the killing of Bangladeshis by the BSF and Indian citizens along the border in 2025 marked the highest level in the past five years -- with 34 killings.
At least eight Bangladeshis were killed by the BSF either in firing or by torture in the first five months of this year, of whom four were killed between January and April while May alone accounted four killings, showing a sharp spike of border killings in recent times.
Asked why the repeated promises made by the BSF in summits go in vain, BGB headquarters deputy director general (Media) Colonel Abul Hasnat Mohamamd Mahmud Azam said that the BGB director general would continue to press the demands.
‘It is India’s political and diplomatic position but the BSF should behave as a responsible force and should not extrajudicially kill people and push in people without following legal procedure,’ said Abul Hasnat, adding that Dhaka should also press New Delhi in political and diplomatic channel.
Meanwhile, the BGB foiled over two dozens of BSF’s push-in attempts in the past 10 days, about 20 of them occurring in three days till Saturday morning.
The Bangladesh government has engaged local people, Ansar and Village Defense Party and Bangladesh Coast Guard alongside BGB to resist BSF’s push-in attempts.
New Age correspondent in Lalmonirhat, quoting BGB officials and local people, on Sunday reported that the BSF-30 Battalion brought several hundred people by a 13-tonne truck, eight pickups, three jeeps and one bus at the Goldanga gate near the main pillar of Panbari border outpost along Patgram border in Lalmonirhat district on Sunday morning.
According to the report, the BGB and villagers’ strong position foiled the BSF bid to illegally push those people into Bangladesh at about 6:30am on Sunday and the BSF then removed the people from the bordering areas.
During a visit to a spot in the evening, the correspondent found that local people and the BGB were patrolling the neighbouring border areas along India.
BGB-15 Battalion commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Mehedi Imam said that the strong position of the BGB and villagers forced the BSF to move back with the people.
‘We are now on alert in the bordering areas and will not allow anyone to illegally enter Bangladesh,’ he added.
While responding to reporters at the secretariat on Sunday, home minister Salahuddin Ahmed said that the push-in issue would primarily be resolved through diplomatic channels.
‘There will be diplomatic talks to resolve the issue,’ the minister added.
New Age Correspondent in Panchagarh reported that the BSF on Sunday noon again tried to push into Bangladesh the 10 people, including women and children, who were stranded in the no-man’s-land near the Borobari border point under the district for over 60 hours.
The BGB and local people foiled the attempt.
In the Delhi talks, Dhaka will also raise the issues of BSF flying drones and helicopters in Bangladesh territory, dispute over the demarcation of Muhurirchar near Parshuram in Feni and Belonia in India’s South Tripura, embankment protection of river Kushiara, installing effluent treatment plants for releasing industrial wastes and draining water into cross-border canals from Agartala in India to Akhaura.
Other issues to be raised include installing optical fibre in Dahagram-Angorpata area, and stopping human trafficking and arms smuggling through bordering areas.
According to Bangladesh authorities, Bangladesh shares 4,156-kilometre-long border with India, of which some 180 kilometres fall on different water bodies and 79 kilometres on the Sundarban.
