Bangladesh Puts Border Guards on Maximum Alert as India Push-In Operations Escalate
Bangladesh has instructed its Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) to maintain maximum vigilance along the Indo-Bangladesh border to prevent any forced return of undocumented migrants from India, as a disputed practice known as “push-ins” continues to strain relations between the two countries. Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman warned that Dhaka would respond firmly if push-in incidents increased following the Bharatiya Janata Party’s decisive victory in India’s West Bengal state elections earlier this month. globalsecurityPBS
According to Bangladeshi newspaper Prothom Alo, India’s Border Security Force (BSF) pushed 2,479 people into Bangladesh between May 7, 2025, and January 26, 2026. Border Guard Bangladesh later identified at least 120 of those individuals as Indian citizens. aol
What “Push-Ins” Are and Why They Matter Now
The term “push-in”, referred to in India as “pushback”, describes allegations that Indian border forces forcibly send individuals across the India-Bangladesh border into Bangladeshi territory. Over the years, multiple allegations — including cases brought before India’s Supreme Court — have accused security personnel of targeting Bengali Muslims by branding them as Bangladeshi nationals and expelling them across the border despite their possessing valid documents. aol
Bangladesh has long protested such operations as violations of its sovereignty. The issue has now taken on sharper significance after the BJP’s landslide in West Bengal. The BJP’s decisive victory in West Bengal on May 4, 2026, in which it won 207 of 294 seats, has changed the structural conditions for border management. BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, widely expected to become West Bengal’s next chief minister, built his election campaign around what he called “Muslim foreigners” and “Bangladeshi infiltrators.” PBS + 2
“The election is likely to raise the temperature to some degree,” Thomas Kean, a senior consultant on Myanmar and Bangladesh at the International Crisis Group, told The Diplomat. “A BJP-led government in West Bengal will likely increase the securitization of the border and could put increased strain on communal ties.” Manila Bulletin
Dhaka’s Response
“If any kind of push-in incident occurs after the change of power in West Bengal, then Bangladesh will take appropriate measures,” Rahman said while briefing reporters at the State Guest House Padma in Dhaka following a meeting with a United States delegation. aol
Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed also confirmed the BGB had been put on alert. “We have instructed the BGB to stay alert along borders. Although we do not see such a possibility, we have taken precautions in advance so that we can address the situation if it arises,” Ahmed said. Fresh directives were simultaneously issued to district authorities in border regions. CBS News
BGB Headquarters Director of Operations Lieutenant Colonel Md Mahbub Murshed Rahman confirmed the force has intensified border surveillance using radar systems, thermal cameras, drones, and smart digital monitoring equipment. He said it was conducting round-the-clock monitoring in sensitive areas through technology-driven patrols. KY3
A Border Standoff Turns Physical
The alert comes days after a direct confrontation between the two forces underlined how quickly the situation can deteriorate.
Tension gripped the India-Bangladesh international border near Thakurbari in Mankachar, Assam, on Tuesday, May 27, following a face-off between BSF personnel and the BGB. The standoff occurred during a repatriation operation involving 14 Bangladeshi nationals who had allegedly entered Indian territory illegally. yahoo
The 14 individuals were allegedly pushed back by the BSF through the border area between Assam’s Mankachar district and Bangladesh’s Rowmari in Kurigram district. Some of those pushed across told reporters they were Indian citizens. BGB officials refused to accept the individuals, and the situation escalated rapidly. Manila Bulletin
The confrontation escalated when BGB personnel, along with a growing number of Bangladeshi civilians, obstructed the repatriation process near the zero line — a stretch of land meant to remain neutral between the two countries. Heated verbal exchanges broke out, with BGB personnel reportedly crossing into the zero line area to prevent the handover. As the crowd grew, the BSF fired four warning shots into the air to disperse the gathering and de-escalate the confrontation. yahoo
As of midday on May 27, the 14 individuals had been camping in no-man’s land before BGB eventually took them to its camp in Boraibari, Kurigram, for nationality verification. Manila Bulletin
The BSF offered a different account of events. In a statement, the BSF said its troops had observed suspicious movement of Bangladeshi nationals approaching the international boundary from the Bangladeshi side and had challenged the group to prevent unauthorised entry into Indian territory, prompting what it described as a mob retreating back into Bangladesh. Al Jazeera
Gujarat Roundup Adds Fresh Pressure
On April 27, police in the Indian state of Gujarat detained 1,024 Bangladeshis, including women and children, in the cities of Ahmedabad and Surat. The following day, Gujarat’s police chief Vikas Sahay told a press conference: “Under the direction of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, a single-night operation resulted in the arrest of 890 Bangladeshis in Ahmedabad and 134 in Surat. The crackdown was necessary to deal with illegal entry and criminal activity by undocumented migrants.” Fox News
In response, Bangladesh summoned India’s acting high commissioner in Dhaka, Pawan Kumar Badhe, in protest. Fox News
India’s Position
India’s Ministry of External Affairs called on Bangladesh to expedite the verification of illegal immigrants, saying more than 2,862 cases were pending on Bangladesh’s side. New Delhi has not publicly acknowledged the practice of push-ins as a systematic policy, framing individual operations as border security enforcement. inquirer
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the state had adopted a faster approach. “Earlier, we used to arrest them, produce them in courts and follow the legal procedure. But now we are pushing them back right from the border in order to avoid the legal procedure and the hassles,” he said. Philippine News Agency
West Bengal’s new BJP government also moved quickly on border infrastructure. West Bengal’s cabinet cleared the transfer of 600 acres of land to the BSF for completing the fencing of the India-Bangladesh border in the state, with Chief Minister Adhikari saying the transfer process would be completed within 45 days. CNBC
Background
Relations between India and Bangladesh deteriorated sharply following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024 after a mass uprising. Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus led an interim government until February 2026, when the Bangladesh Nationalist Party won a landslide general election with Tarique Rahman returning from exile to lead the campaign. India moved quickly to engage the new government, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi sending a letter inviting Rahman to visit India, delivered at the February 17 inauguration ceremony by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. The BGB on May 4 ordered its members to be vigilant during the West Bengal election count, and Bangladesh’s Home Minister described the force’s posture as being at its highest level of readiness. The India-Bangladesh border stretches 4,427 kilometres across five Indian states — West Bengal, Tripura, Assam, Meghalaya, and Mizoram — with significant stretches still unfenced. aol + 2
What Happens Next
Bangladesh has stated that its foreign policy remains tied to the central government of India and that a change in any state government does not affect bilateral relations, but the BGB remains at maximum alert. Dhaka’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Md. Touhid Hossain confirmed that Bangladesh has sent a formal protest letter to India over push-in incidents and that communication with New Delhi is ongoing, with Dhaka seeking to ensure all repatriations follow established procedures through consular dialogue channels. India has yet to respond to that letter, according to Bangladeshi officials. West Bengal’s new government has committed to completing its land transfer to the BSF for border fencing within 45 days, a move that Dhaka is watching closely. House of Commons Library + 2
