After BJP's Bengal win, what Bangladesh said on pushback of illegal migrants

Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said he hoped no pushback incidents would follow the BJP's poll wins in West Bengal and Assam. He also informed Border Guard Bangladesh had been told to stay alert.

In Short

• Bangladesh Home Minister hopes no push backs after BJP's assembly wins
• Border Guard Bangladesh asked to stay alert on frontiers
• Foreign Minister warns of action if push-ins occur

Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Wednesday expressed hope that people will not be pushed in his country after the BJP’s victory in the recent assembly polls in bordering states.

“I hope no such incident (pushbacks) will happen,” Ahmed told reporters when asked if he feared an increase in cases of people suspected of being illegal immigrants being pushed from India.

Ahmed, however, said that the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have been asked to “remain alert” along the frontiers.

Ahmed’s comments came a day after Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman was quoted in the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s official Facebook page saying that Bangladesh will take action if “push-in” incidents occur amid the change of power in the bordering state of West Bengal.

On Monday, assembly election results were announced in West Bengal, where the BJP won with a sweeping majority. In its election campaign, the BJP often accused the Mamata Banerjee-led government of allowing an influx of Bangladeshi people to West Bengal – an allegation that the latter has dismissed.

The party also retained power in the bordering state of Assam for a third term.

The term “pushback” is typically used to describe the action of forcefully sending people, believed to be illegal migrants, across borders. Countries where they are sent often use the term “push in”.

In recent years, such cases between India and Bangladesh have largely centred on border areas in some northeastern states.

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