Border Security Force (BSF) deployed along the border also intercepted 873 Indians entering Bangladesh without any documents from January 1 to August 4. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

There has been no significant increase in the number of undocumented people intercepted whilst entering or leaving India on the border with Bangladesh following major political changes in the neighbouring country, government data of the past six years shows.

Between August 5, when former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India, and November 27, a total of 1,393 Bangladeshis were apprehended along the international border. From January 1 to August 4, the number of such apprehensions stood at 1,144, data accessed by The Hindu shows.

In all, 3,907 undocumented people have been intercepted along the Bangladesh border this year, which includes Indians and people from other nationalities.

In the whole of 2023, as many as 5,095 undocumented people were intercepted, including 3,137 Bangladeshis.

Other than undocumented Bangladeshis, the Border Security Force (BSF) deployed along the border also intercepted 873 Indians entering Bangladesh without any documents from January 1 to August 4.

The number of Indians who wanted to cross over to Bangladesh from August 5 to November 27 stood at 388.

This year, 109 people from other nationalities, including Myanmar, were also stopped at the border.

In 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022, the number of Bangladeshis intercepted were 2,995, 2,480, 3,295, 2,451, and 3,074, respectively.

After the recent arrest in Dhaka of Chinmoy Krishna Das, spokesperson of the Bangladesh Sammilito Sanatani Jagaran Jote, an umbrella group of minority religious communities, in an alleged case of sedition, the BSF has tightened its vigil along the border.

“There could be instances when members of the minority community may want to enter India fearing for their safety, but till now, no such scenario has emerged. There were a few reports from Dinajpur in north Bengal but no mass movement of people is noticed so far. We stop unauthorised entry of all people,” a senior BSF official said.

After Ms. Hasina escaped to India on August 5, violence erupted in the neighbouring country, and in several cases, members of the Hindu community, temples, and shops owned by members of the community, were specifically targeted.

The BSF, deployed along India’s 4,096-km long border with Bangladesh, has been on a heightened vigil since August, with instructions from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) “to not allow anyone into the country without valid documents”.

In certain instances, the BSF pushes back illegal migrants in coordination with the Border Guards Bangladesh, as registering a police case involves a long-drawn legal and deportation process.

After August 5, the BSF has held hundreds of meetings with officials of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) to ensure the safety and security of minorities in Bangladesh.

Chief Adviser Prof. Muhammad Yunus said that not only the deaths in the uprising but all other violations of human rights, including alleged enforced disappearances while Ms. Hasina was in power, would be investigated. File
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

Bangladesh’s interim leader and Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus said Sunday (November 17, 2024) that his administration will seek the extradition of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from India, where she has been in exile since fleeing a mass uprising in August 2024.

In a televised address to the nation on his first 100 days in office, Mr. Yunus said that the interim government will try those responsible, including Ms. Hasina, for hundreds of deaths during the student-led uprising that ended her 15-year rule. Mr. Yunus took the helm on August 8, 2024, three days after Ms. Hasina fled the country.

He said that not only the deaths in the uprising but all other violations of human rights, including alleged enforced disappearances while Ms. Hasina was in power, would be investigated. Bangladesh has sought help from the global police organization Interpol in issuing a red notice for the arrest of Ms. Hasina and her associates.

“We will seek the return of the fallen autocrat Sheikh Hasina from India,” Mr. Yunus said. “I have already discussed the issue with chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim Khan.”

While Hasina and her close associates are facing numerous criminal charges at home, the Yunus-led government is also pushing for the ICC to take up the case.

Seeking Hasina’s extradition could also pose a challenge for India, which has treated her as a trusted friend.

Mr. Yunus said his government’s most important task was to hold a new election to hand over power to an elected government, but he did not spell out any timeframe. He said his administration would first bring about reforms in various sectors, including in the electoral system.

He promised that once the electoral reforms are completed, a roadmap for the new election would be unveiled.

Mr. Yunus has been talking to political parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party headed by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, Hasina’s main rival, which has sought an election in two to three months. The party believes it will form the next government as Hasina’s Awami League party and its allies face a political debacle following her ouster.

Mr. Yunus said the Election Commission will be reconstituted soon.

“But as we move forward, we need to complete a lot of work. The train will reach its final station depending on how quickly we can lay down the railway tracks, and this will happen through consensus among the political parties,” he said.

Mr. Yunus also downplayed as “exaggerated” reports of attacks on minorities, especially Hindus, many of whom complained that hard-line Islamists are becoming increasingly influential since Hasina’s ouster.