Agartala, January 19, 2019: Even as 31 Rohingya Muslims are stranded along Indo-Bangla international border in Tripura for several hours, the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) and Border Security Force are involved in war of words arguing over the responsibility of their ‘push back’.
While the BGB, according to Bangladesh media reports, claimed that the BSF was trying to push the stranded Rohingyas back to Bangladesh near Nischintapur border in Tripura, the Tripura Frontier BSF strongly refuted the claim and denied any such attempt on their part. Bangladesh political leaders also got involved in the impasse, as according to Bangladesh media, Gopinathpur Union Parishad Chairman there SM Mannan Jahangir of Kasba Upazila said India’s Border Security Force was trying to force the Rohingyas into Bangladesh since Friday night.
According to latest reports, the standoff continued as both the BSF and the BGB were in no mood to take the Rohingyas. As a result, 31 Rohingyas — six women, eight men and 17 children, left in the cold under the bare sky, were still waiting in the zero point to make a border crossing till the last information came in.
The Tripura Frontier BSF in a press communiqué strongly refuted the allegation of BGB that the BSF were pushing Rohingyas into Bangladeshi territory.
“On Friday night, Border Guards Bangladesh’s (BGB) Lt. Col. Gomal Kabir over phone informed BSF Commandant Ratnesh Kumar that they have detained 31 Rohingya Muslims along the International Border (with Western Tripura).
“CO 25 BGB insisted BSF Commandant to take over those Rohingya inside the Indo-Bangladesh Border (IBB) Fencing. Commanding Officer BGB also alleged that BSF had been pushing Rohingyas into Bangladesh Territory. However, BSF Authorities strictly denied any such attempt and refuted the allegation as published in Bangladesh media”, the communiqué said.
“During a search in the area and spot verification, no tell-tale signs of any such type of illegal crossing of Rohingyas from Indian Territory to Bangladesh side were found.
Further, information received from the reliable sources indicate that Border Guards Bangladesh have brought group of Rohingyas from the interior side of Kasba Upazila and falsely shown them to have been apprehended and detained near border pillar NO 2029/3-S under a specific strategic plan,” the BSF release said.
A senior BSF official said that during the past one year, 62 Rohingya Muslims had entered India (Tripura) illegally.
In the meantime, Bangladesh news portal bdnews24 quoting Major Md Shafiq of the Border Guards Bangladesh said a ‘decision would be taken after a flag meeting with India’s border guards’.
“The BGB members are on the high alert so that the BSF cannot push them into Bangladesh.”
The news portal said , “India’s ‘Hindu nationalist government’ regards the Rohingya as illegal aliens and a security risk, and has ordered that tens of thousands of them who live in scattered settlements and slums be identified and repatriated”.
“This month India deported a Rohingya family of five to Buddhist-majority Myanmar, the second expulsion in three months. That has worried the community given that the United Nations says conditions are not conducive for them to return to Myanmar after fleeing violence and persecution over the years”.
“India estimates that 40,000 Rohingyas live in camps across the country, mainly in Jammu, Hyderabad and the capital, New Delhi. Only 16,500 have UNHCR identity cards the agency says can help “prevent harassment, arbitrary arrests, detention and deportation”. (Courtesy: Tripura Times)
