Bangladesh’s Jamaat-e-Islami and its coalition of Islamist and other opposition parties, including the former anti-Sheikh Hasina students’-led NCP, have announced protests along the India-Bangladesh border over alleged “push-ins” by India and the “killing of Bangladeshi nationals near the frontier”. The protest plan of the Bangladeshi parties was shared by the Shafiqur Rahman-led Jamaat.
The Jamaat-led 11-party alliance said it would hold protest rallies in border districts and key border points across Bangladesh on Friday (June 12) followed by a rally and procession in Dhaka on June 15. The alliance has attacked PM Tarique Rahman’s BNP government and has accused India of attempting to force people across the border. The Jamaat alliance also alleged that “Bangladeshi citizens have been killed in firing by India’s Border Security Force (BSF)”.
Jamaat’s announcement of the march to Indian border posts comes at a time when the issue of alleged “push-ins” has become a major talking point in Bangladesh. According to reports, the matter was raised by Dhaka ahead of the latest Director General-level talks between India’s BSF and Bangladesh’s Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) in New Delhi.
India, however, has maintained that it is not carrying out “push-ins” and is only repatriating illegal foreign nationals through established legal procedures and bilateral arrangements. New Delhi maintains that only illegal migrants were being repatriated after due verification and in accordance with existing procedures.
The planned demonstrations of the Islamist parties of Bangladesh are expected to take the issue from official diplomatic channels to the streets.
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“The 11-party alliance will hold protest rallies in border districts on June 12, followed by a protest gathering and procession in Dhaka on June 15,” the Jamaat said in a statement, undersigned by former MP, AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad.
Earlier this month, Azad compared the Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed’s remarks on border issues to those of “Indian ministers,” implying the government is too soft or aligned with India, reported Dhaka-based outlet, The Daily Sun.
In May, following the BJP’s sweep in West Bengal and Assam and India’s renewed focus on the repatriation of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, Dhaka placed its international border on heightened alert.
The 11-party alliance was formed ahead of Bangladesh’s February 12 general election. It is led by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, now one of the country’s principal opposition parties, and includes several groups that espouse Islamist political principles. Among them are Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, Khelafat Majlis, Bangladesh Khilafat Andolan and Nizam-e-Islam Party.
The protest programme was announced on Wednesday at a press conference held at Jamaat-e-Islami’s central office in Dhaka.
AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad, coordinator of the 11-party alliance and assistant secretary general of Jamaat-e-Islami, said rallies would be organised in all border districts and important frontier points on Friday (June 12). A larger protest gathering and procession will then be held in the capital on June 15.
Besides the Jamaat, its Islamist coalition includes the National Citizen Party (NCP), Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, Khelafat Majlis, Amar Bangladesh Party, Jatiya Ganatantrik Party, and other opposition groups.
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The alliance also announced plans to organise seminars in various districts and a roundtable discussion in Dhaka as part of its campaign, Azad said during the press conference on Wednesday.
Speaking at the same press conference, NCP Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwari said “residents living near the zero line were facing a humanitarian situation”.
He said that the BGB should be strengthened further to prevent alleged push-ins and urged people living in frontier areas to form a “human shield” so that “terrorists, smugglers or criminals” could not enter Bangladesh.
Citing reports published in Bangladeshi newspapers, Jamaat’s Azad claimed that more than 50 alleged push-in incidents had taken place along the frontier during the past three months.
According to Azad, attempts were made to send 2,479 people into Bangladesh through various border points during March, April and May. He claimed the actual figure could be even higher.
The Jamaat leader further alleged that 19 Bangladeshis had been killed and 24 injured in firing by the BSF during the first 100 days of the BNP government. He also claimed that 83 people had been detained or forcibly taken away by the BSF and Myanmar’s Arakan Army.
He also declared that “push-ins will be resisted at any cost”.
The Jamaat bloc’s announcement comes amid a diplomatic focus on an issue which Bangladesh calls “push-ins”. Dhaka said the issue was raised during the 57th Director General-level talks between the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and India’s Border Security Force (BSF) held in New Delhi from June 8 to 11.
India has consistently rejected the description of these actions as “push-ins”.
New Delhi maintains that only illegal foreign nationals are being repatriated after due verification and in accordance with existing procedures. Responding to remarks by Bangladeshi officials, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India expected Bangladesh to expedite nationality verification so that repatriation could proceed smoothly.
India’s official position is that “all illegal foreign nationals staying in India must be repatriated as per our laws, procedure and established bilateral arrangements”.
The developments also come amid broader efforts to identify and deport illegal immigrants in states like West Bengal and Assam. According to news agency PTI, the West Bengal government said that around 4,800 illegal immigrants have been sent to Bangladesh from holding centres in border districts, while another 836 are awaiting deportation.
India and Bangladesh share a 4,096-km border. It’s India’s longest border with any country. While the Jamaat-led alliance is preparing for protests along the Indian border, the issue is continuing to be discussed simultaneously in New Delhi. Even as the issue is being discussed through diplomatic and border-management channels between New Delhi and Dhaka, the Jamaat-led alliance has chosen to take the matter to the streets.
