Bangladesh on Thursday, June 4, 2026, said it had foiled several attempts by Indian authorities to push people across the border over the previous 24 hours, reviving a long-running dispute over alleged undocumented migration and adding strain to efforts to improve ties between the two neighbours. The Border Guard Bangladesh said it detected 10 attempted infringements along several stretches of the more than 4,000-km land border, one of the world’s longest and hardest to police.
The Indian Border Security Force and the Ministry of External Affairs did not immediately comment on the allegations. Bangladesh said it would not allow any individual or group to enter the country illegally and warned that any attempt to violate border rules or bilateral understandings would be resisted.
The issue has become politically sensitive in India, where the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has made action against undocumented migration a priority in border states such as Tripura, West Bengal and Assam. Since last year, Indian authorities have been accused of trying to push Bengali-speaking Muslims, described by the BJP as “illegal infiltrators,” into Bangladesh. The controversy has complicated diplomatic efforts following the 2024 ousting of Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh’s long-time India-aligned leader.
Bangladesh’s border forces said they stepped up patrols and public awareness campaigns along parts of the frontier last month after concerns grew that India was carrying out informal “push-ins” — transfers of people into Bangladesh without proper verification or repatriation procedures. Dhaka has repeatedly said that anyone found to be Bangladeshi should be sent back only through formal legal and diplomatic channels.
In one incident reported in the southwestern district of Jhenaidah over the past day, the BGB alleged that BSF personnel tried to move 30 to 35 people toward Bangladeshi territory in a prison van after opening a border gate. The BGB said it forced the vehicle to turn back.
India’s Foreign Ministry said in May that it had asked Bangladesh to verify the nationality of more than 2,860 suspected Bangladeshis living illegally in India. The latest allegations are expected to be discussed at director-general-level talks between the two border forces in New Delhi from June 8 to 11, according to Bangladeshi government officials.
The row underscores the continuing sensitivity of border management between the two countries, where migration, policing and identity have long been politically charged issues.
