Illegal Indians to be repatriated thru legal channels: Home Adviser

Lieutenant General (Retd.) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Adviser to the Ministry of Home Affairs, has announced that Indian nationals and Rohingya individuals who enter Bangladesh illegally from India will be repatriated through official and legal channels, not through pushback operations.

Any individuals identified as Bangladeshi citizens among such groups will not be subject to pushback, he said.

He made the remarks while addressing a press briefing following the inauguration of a new floating Border Outpost (BOP) of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) at Boyesing, located in the remote Sundarbans region.

“If any illegal Bangladeshi nationals are found in India, they must be returned through due legal process,” he said.

“We have communicated this formally to the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka and have requested that any repatriation take place through appropriate diplomatic channels, not via push-in tactics.”

He emphasized that recent push-in incidents from India are not being interpreted as acts of provocation.

He reiterated that Bangladesh has no intention of carrying out pushback actions against Indian nationals currently within its borders, and that all repatriations will follow due process.

Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui, Director General of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), also addressed the media at the event, stating that illegal push-ins are being actively resisted with support from local communities.

“Adequate measures are in place to counter these incursions,” said the BGB chief.

“The possibility of militants or criminal elements entering the country through push-ins cannot be ruled out. We are committed to maintaining strict vigilance to prevent such threats,” he added.

The newly inaugurated floating BOP is strategically located at the confluence of the Raimangal River and the Boyesing Canal along the Bangladesh–India border in the Sundarbans. The outpost, under the Riverine Border Guard (RBG) Company of BGB’s Jessore Region, is expected to significantly enhance monitoring and border protection in this challenging terrain.

BGB sources said that approximately 180 kilometers of the 4,156-kilometer Bangladesh–India border is riverine, with nearly 79 kilometers passing through the Sundarbans. Due to the over 30-kilometer distance between the existing Koikhali BOP and the Kanchikata floating BOP, the establishment of a third BOP at Boyesing was deemed essential to ensure seamless coverage.

The new post will be staffed by 35 BGB personnel, led by two officers. Their responsibilities include preventing human trafficking—particularly of women and children—curbing drug and goods smuggling, intercepting unauthorized foreign vessels, and protecting the natural resources of the Sundarbans.

Dignitaries in Attendance

The establishment of the new BOP reflects Bangladesh’s ongoing commitment to securing its borders while upholding legal and diplomatic norms in regional cooperation.