Malda, June 21 -- A fresh controversy has emerged over the alleged infiltration attempt along the Indo-Bangladesh border at Sukdevpur village under Baishnabnagar police station in Malda district after a video circulating on social media purportedly showed Bangladeshi nationals claiming that they had been brought to the border by members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).
The incident occurred on Saturday along a 1.2-km unfenced stretch of the border, where BSF personnel reportedly thwarted an attempt by a group of Bangladeshi nationals to enter Indian territory.
In the video, the individuals claimed to be residents of Nehalpur Union in Jashore district of Bangladesh and showed their birth certificates. They alleged: "We were staying in a hotel in the Monakosha area of Shibganj. BGB personnel detained us and brought us to the Sukdevpur border, asking us to cross into India."
According to local sources, BSF personnel on patrol intervened and prevented the group from entering India. Villagers from Sukdevpur also gathered at the border in support of the security forces, following which the group retreated.
Baishnabnagar MLA Raju Karmakar alleged that attempts to facilitate illegal infiltration had continued for years. "There has been a long-standing conspiracy to alter India's demographic balance. Earlier governments encouraged such infiltration, but the present nationalist government follows a zero-tolerance policy. No Bangladeshi national will be allowed to enter India illegally, and those staying unlawfully will be identified and deported," he said. Local resident Dalton Mondal said: "We stand firmly with the BSF. Earlier, in January, we had resisted attempts to encroach upon Indian land. The 1,200-metre unfenced stretch remains vulnerable, and fencing must be installed immediately."
BSF sources said fencing work has already begun in several vulnerable stretches of the Malda border.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.