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A high-stakes standoff betwixt the Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) astatine 4 points on the India-Bangladesh borderline successful Bengal ended abruptly overnight, with each 40-odd Bangladeshi nationals who had been stranded astatine zero points since Friday disappearing by Saturday morning.The astir tense confrontation unfolded astatine Pillar No. 134 successful Panishala, successful Cooch Behar's Mekhliganj, wherever 10 radical had been stranded aft BGB refused to judge them, claiming they were being "illegally pushed back" from India.When BSF sought a emblem meeting, BGB declined. After hours of standoff and a large altercation successful the aboriginal hours of Saturday, BGB backed down. BSF said each those stranded had since returned to Bangladesh.Even arsenic the contiguous standoffs were resolved, BGB connected Saturday claimed to person foiled 8 abstracted BSF "push-back" attempts successful the preceding 24 hours, issuing an authoritative connection done its nationalist relations serviceman Shariful Islam.A akin signifier played retired astatine 3 different locations - Sitalkuchi and Dinhata successful Cooch Behar and Sakati successful Jalpaiguri Sadar - wherever astir 30 much Bangladeshi nationals, including women and children, had been stranded done Friday earlier vanishing overnight.
In a video that surfaced during the standoff, purportedly showing a BSF-BGB speech successful beforehand of the stranded individuals, a pistillate is seen saying she was from Khulna and wanted to instrumentality to her village. Sources said BSF utilized the footage to property BGB into accepting them back.Among the incidents BGB cited successful their statement, 3 individuals were stopped astatine the Jadabpur borderline adjacent North 24 Parganas and Nadia; 17 were turned backmost astatine the Karmudanga borderline adjacent South Dinajpur; 21 were blocked astatine the Barkhata and Payashottibari borderline adjacent Dhubri successful Assam; and 7 were prevented from crossing astatine the Dighaltari borderline adjacent Cooch Behar.
"Eight abstracted attempts were foiled arsenic a effect of heightened alertness, intensified patrols and contiguous preventive measures," the BGB connection said.The occurrence unfolded against the backdrop of the caller BJP govt successful West Bengal accelerating the recognition and deportation of undocumented Bangladeshi nationals.The Centre connected Friday besides asked Dhaka to expedite the verification process for suspected amerciable immigrants to facilitate deportations. BSF has since stepped up vigil on the border.
