Large crowd of Bangladeshis gather at Indo-Bangladesh border amidst the ongoing attacks on Hindus in the country, seek to enter India

On Monday, August 5, Sheikh Hasina resigned from the post of Prime Minister of Bangladesh ending her 15 years in power. Following her resignation, the country has descended into chaos with widespread attacks on the minority Hindu community by the Islamists. Following the large scale violence, several Bangladeshis have been trying to find safe refuge in neighbouring India.

In the last couple of days, several visuals have come up showing Bangladeshis gathering at the Indo-Bangladesh border in a bid to enter India and escape the violence back home. People can be seen standing in a rivulet as they seek to enter their neighbouring country.

#WATCH | Amid political crisis & violence in Bangladesh, a large number of people from the neighbouring country gather at India-Bangladesh border. They've been stopped by BSF at Zero Point

Visuals across the border in Bangladesh, captured from Indian side at Pathantuli in… pic.twitter.com/uaqYnyKHX4

— ANI (@ANI) August 9, 2024

BSF prevented a large group of Bangladeshi nationals from entering India at the Cooch Behar border between the two countries in the state of West Bengal. People were seen gathering at the Pathantuli border in Sitalkuchi in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district. However, the Guwahati Frontier of the Border Security Force (BSF) successfully thwarted their attempt to enter India on a large scale.

A local from Pathantuli, Ikramul Haque, said, “Around 9-9.30 AM, a few people from Bangladesh gathered at the border and tried to infiltrate into India.” He added that many are still hanging around there.

The BSF, coordinating with the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB), ensured that these Bangladeshis were stopped from entering India and taken back. Attempting to enter India, the Bangladeshis had assembled about 400 meters from the fence in a rivulet in Bangladesh’s Lalmonirhat district.

A senior BSF official said, “The Bangladeshis had gathered at the border, but none were able to enter the country as the border was completely sealed. They were later taken back by the BGB into their own country.”