Guwahati:
A standoff continues at the India-Bangladesh border in Assam’s Mankachar sector, with nine Bangladeshi citizens left stranded in the no-man’s land between the two countries.
Sources suggest that the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has been refusing to accept their nationals.
A flag meeting was held between Border Security Forces (BSF) and BGB to resolve the issue, but sources said no solution came out of the meeting. A fresh round of meetings will be held again today, BSF sources added.
Read: Brief Standoff On India-Bangladesh Border Over 55-Year-Old In No-Man’s Land
Tension had gripped the India-Bangladesh border in Mankachar on Sunday after the nine individuals were found stranded in the no-man’s land.
In a viral video, one of them is heard admitting that they are Bangladeshi citizens and had come to India for work. “We have the documents to prove we are from Bangladesh. Even if we are killed and dumped in river, we will not go to India,” he said.
Several other videos showed them crying as they remain uncertain about their future.
The BSF had recently pushed back several Bangladeshi citizens who tried to cross the India border. Over the past week, Assam Police and BSF have stopped 21 infiltrators.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has praised the police and the BSF for their role in preventing infiltration.
Read: Detect, Delete, Deport: Inside Bengal’s Indo-Bangladesh Border Security Drive
“Safeguarding borders, strengthening security. In an excellent joint effort by @assampolice and @BSF_India, 21 infiltrators were swiftly identified and prevented from entering India. Our multi-pronged approach of safeguarding our border continues,” he said in an X post on Sunday.
Sarma has also called for keeping Assam free of illegal infiltration from Bangladesh and securing the borders of neighbouring states sharing international boundaries.
