United News of Bangladesh

Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Tuesday said Bangladesh will send a fresh ‘substantive’ letter to India reminding them of set mechanisms to deal with the push-ins, noting that push-in is still happening. "We will give them a fresh letter (diplomatic note) today or tomorrow. We give them a substantive letter," he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs while responding to a question. Asked whether the letter would be in a soft language or kind of a protest note, Adviser Hossain said it depends on how it is viewed. He said Bangladesh is in touch with India on the issues of push-ins with regular exchanges. Adviser Hossain said communication with New Delhi continues and Dhaka is trying that nothing happens beyond the set mechanisms, mentioning that the Indian side has given Bangladesh a list and Dhaka has taken some of them after verification. Bangladesh’s position is that it will examine each case separately and will receive only if there is proof that they are Bangladeshi citizens. "We see it (push-in) is happening. It is not possible to face physically," he said. Hossain said there is a mechanism on consular issues and using the mechanism, Dhaka is trying to bring it under the set rules. Asked about updates on deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s extradition, the Adviser said there has been no feedback yet. Prof Yunus seeks global backing to tackle Rohingya aid crisis Seeking an accelerated verification process, India has said they have a large number of Bangladeshi nationals - around over 2000 - who are required to be deported after verification. Regarding Hasina’s extradition request, the Adviser also said they did not give the second letter yet but if required, it will be done. On border killings, he said Dhaka's strong protest continues through diplomatic channels. The adviser said Consular Dialogue between the two countries can take place as there are issues (like push-ins). Asked about the next national election, Hossain said the election issue comes when they hold routine meetings at home and abroad. "We mention the government's position that the election will be held between December this year and June next year," he said. "We have asked the Bangladeshi side to verify their nationality. We have a pending list of 2360.....upwards of 2360 cases of people who are required to be deported," said official Spokesperson at the Ministry of External Affairs Randhir Jaiswal recently. During a regular briefing in New Delhi, he also said many of them have actually completed their jail sentences. "And in many cases, the nationality verification is required to be done. It is pending since 2020. So, almost five years have passed," said the MEA Spokesperson. Dhaka, Thimphu see ‘significant potential’ in hydropower trade: Foreign Adviser The Indian side urged the Bangladeshi side that they must expedite the verification process so that people who are required to be deported can be sent back to Bangladesh. "They must expedite this process," Spokesperson Jaiswal said. The MEA spokesperson said the people who are staying in India illegally or the foreigners who are staying in India illegally, whether they happen to be Bangladeshi national or any other national, will be dealt with as per law. Responding to a question on India's recent trade related measures, including cancellation of transhipment facilities, Adviser Hossain said they see positive things for the country as its dependence on India reduced. "Our dependence on them has reduced. Our exports are not being affected and a mechanism has been set up to be done from Sylhet instead of Delhi," he said. The Adviser observed that trade is going on and there is no problem. "I think it has been good in one way. Why do we have to transit from other countries for everything? Since there are direct flights from here," he added. India terminated the transshipment facility for Bangladesh’s export cargo, saying the transshipment facility extended to Bangladesh had over a period of time resulted in significant congestion at their airports and ports. The facility was withdrawn from April 8, 2025. These measures do not impact Bangladesh exports to Nepal or Bhutan transiting through Indian territory.

India's Border Security Force (BSF), tasked by its political masters with implementing a controversial deportation policy, on Saturday pushed nine individuals, including women and children, into Bangladesh through the Daulatpur border. Members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) detained them around 10am from the Bhagojat Bazar area under Ramkrishnapur union of Daulatpur upazila. Lt Col Mahbub Murshed Rahman, commanding officer of Kushtia-47 BGB Battalion, said the individuals were detained from inside Bangladeshi territory at Bhagojat, and initial evidence suggests they were pushed in by the BSF. They have been handed over to Daulatpur Police Station after being accused in a case of illegal entry, the BGB official added. The BGB did manage to confirm they were all Bangladeshis, with their citizenship status 'active'. The detainees hail from Fulbari and Nageshwari upazilas of Kurigram district, according to BGB. 13 missing as passenger trawler capsizes in Meghna River in Hatiya They are  Md Enamul Haque, 42, of Barovita village in Fulbari; his wife Mosammat Shefali Khatun, 35; their sons Md Liton, 17, and Md Abu Bakkar Siddiq, 14; and daughter Mosammat Khushi Khatun, 11. The others are Md Saiful Islam, 65, of Kutibamondanga village in Nageshwari; his wife Mosammat Rima, 55; their daughter Mosammat Taslima, 14; and son Md Abdul Hamid, 9. Preliminary interrogation revealed that the two families had entered India illegally about four years ago, said Lt Col Murshed. Locals said the nine individuals were attempting to return to their home district after re-entering Bangladesh illegally through the Challishpara border point under Ramkrishnapur union when they were detained by a BGB patrol team from the Mahishkundi camp at Bhagojat Bazar. However, the BSF has illegally pushed almost a thousand individuals into Bangladesh - not all of them Bangladeshis -through various points of the border, disregarding due process since May 7.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) detained six Indian nationals at the Burimari Railway Station in Patgram upazila of Lalmonirhat on Friday afternoon. Patgram Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mizanur Rahman said all the detainees are residents of Assam, India. The BGB has called for a flag meeting with the Indian authorities in this regard. The six individuals are currently in BGB custody, he added. According to locals, the six individuals were seen moving suspiciously around the Burimari Railway Station around noon. Acting on information, members of the Burimari Border Outpost (BOP) under the 61 Tista-2 Battalion of BGB detained them. BGB sources said the group includes two women and that all of them are from Assam’s Golaghat and Darrang districts. 22 more pushed in by BSF through Habiganj They were allegedly pushed into Bangladesh through the Doikhawa border in Hatibandha upazila by 78 Battalion of India’s Border Security Force (BSF) on May 25, according to BGB. Since May 7, the BSF has illegally pushed almost a thousand individuals into Bangladesh - not all of them Bangladeshis -through various points of the border, disregarding due process.

The Indian Border Security Force (BSF) has illegally pushed in 14 more people through the Matiranga border in Khagrachhari district. The BGB detained them, after they were transferred across the Mango Garden border area of Taindong union around 5am on Friday, without following due process. The detained individuals are in Taindong DP Para Govt Primary School under the supervision of the 23rd BGB Jamini Para Battalion. They said that they worked in a brick kiln in Haryana, India. They were arrested from there and taken by plane to Agartala in Tripura. From there, they were taken to south Tripura and forcibly sent across the international border to Bangladesh early Friday. BSF pushes 19 people into Bangladesh: BGB Khagrachhari Deputy Commissioner ABM Iftekharul Islam Khandaker said that the citizenship status of the detainees are being verified. Since May 7, the BSF has illegally pushed almost a thousand individuals into Bangladesh through various points of the border.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has taken into custody 19 people from two separate border areas in Kamalganj, Moulvibazar after they were pushed into Bangladesh from India. Five people were detained from Bagichhara and 14 from Champachhara area of Islampur union border of the upazila at around 4 am on Friday. Among those arrested are children and women. The detainees are being kept at BGB's Bagichara BOP and Champachhara BOP, and their information is being verified. Border Guard Bangladesh 46 Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Md. Zakaria said that 19 people were pushed into Bangladesh on Friday. BGB patrols detained 5 people from the Bagichara border area of Kamalganj at around 4 am and 14 people from the Champachhara border area around 7 am. The first 5 people are being handed over to Kamalganj Police Station. These 5 are residents of Kurigram. The information of the rest is being verified. Two injured in BSF gunfire along Kasba Border The BGB said that the process of handing over the detained Bangladeshi nationals to Kamalganj Police Station is under process. Kamalganj Police Station OC (Investigation) Shamim Akonji confirmed the incident and said that the 19 people detained by the BGB have not yet been handed over to the police station.

Thirty-one more people including women and children were pushed into Bangladesh by Indian Border Security Force (BSF) through Kurigram and Chapainawabganj borders early Tuesday. In Kurigram, tension erupted along the Rowmari border in Kurigram’s Baraibari area early Tuesday following a push-in attempt of 14 people by India's Border Security Force (BSF). The incident occurred around 4:00 am near border pillar 1067 in the no-man’s-land area. Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel from the Baraibari camp took a firm position to prevent the attempted push-in, they said. Though BGB called for a flag meeting to settle the situation, BSF did not respond, the sources added. Shamsul Haque, Assistant Director and acting Adjutant of 35-BGB Battalion, Jamalpur, said, “When the BSF attempted to push-in some people, our BGB members intervened. The people are currently staying in the no-man’s land. Senior officials have reached the spot.” BSF pushes 153 people into Bangladesh through Sylhet border In Chapainawabganj, seventeen more people were pushed into Bangladesh by BSF through Bibhishon border in Gomastapur upazila of the district early Tuesday. Commanding officer of BGB-16, Lieutenant Colonel Ariful Islam, said the BSF members pushed them around 6:30 am though the border and they were detained by the BGB members. Among the detainees, four were men, four female and nine children. They were handed over to Gomastapur Police Station on Tuesday afternoon, said officer-in-charge of Gomostapur Police Station, Rais Uddin.