BGB foils BSF's push-in attempt, forces return of elderly man at Panchbibi border

The Indian Border Security Force (BSF) has tried to push an Indian old man into Bangladesh at the Hatkhola border in Panchbibi upazila of Joypurhat. However, the BSF's attempt failed in the face of resistance from Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and local villagers. According to the latest information, after intense tension, the BSF turned off the lights in the border area and took the old man back into their custody on Sunday night.

Earlier, a push-in attempt took place in the area of ​​sub-pillar number 27 of main pillar number 279 of the Hatkhola border in the upazila on Sunday morning. Since the incident, there has been tension between the border security forces of the two countries throughout the day as the old man was kept on the zero line of the border.

According to local and BGB sources, some local farmers were working in the crop fields adjacent to the border on Sunday morning. At that time, the farmers became suspicious when they saw an old man, approximately 70 to 75 years old, wandering around. The old man approached the farmers and asked for food and water while hungry. At one stage of the conversation, he introduced himself as an Indian citizen.

He said that in the early hours of the morning, BSF members forcibly drove him away and sent him back to Bangladeshi territory. Realizing the matter, the farmers immediately informed the BGB camp in Hatkhola.

Upon receiving the information, BGB members quickly reached the spot and with the help of local villagers, sent the old man back to Indian territory. But the BSF members did not take him inside and made him sit in a pond on the zero line of the border.

Upon visiting the spot, it was seen that the old man had been sitting in the pond on the zero line for a long time. BGB members were on alert on one side of the pond, and the BSF was on the other side.

Although tension prevailed between the border guards of the two countries throughout the day over this incident, the BSF finally retreated in the face of strict surveillance and resistance by the BGB. The BGB has further intensified patrolling and surveillance in the border area to control the situation.

BGB Naib Subedar Mahbubur Rahman, who is on duty at the border, said, "BSF tried to push an Indian citizen into Bangladesh. We pushed him back. He is an Indian citizen. There is currently a tense situation at the border and we are on the highest alert."