Bangladesh yet to respond to BSF protest note on jawan’s abduction

Bangladesh fails to respond to BSF protest note over abduction of constable, highlighting ongoing border security concerns.

Bangladesh has not yet responded to a protest note lodged by the Border Security Force (BSF) regarding the abduction of a constable by “Bangladeshi miscreants” and his subsequent detention by the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) on Tuesday at the Dinajpur border in West Bengal.

A senior BSF official said the jawan was unarmed at the time of incident as India follows a policy of “zero firing” along the Bangladesh border. The incident was reported around 10.30 a.m. on Tuesday and the jawan was released around 4 p.m. the same day.

This is one of the first such incident reported along the Bangladesh border after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stepped down and escaped to India on August 5.

From 2018-2023, as many as 204 BSF personnel deployed along the Bangladesh border have been injured by miscreants. BSF and BGB have held more than 700 meetings along the border since August 5 to coordinate on various border issues. 

Terming the incident a “serious breach of border security”, the BSF in a statement said that a constable who was on routine patrol duty was abducted by a group of 15 to 20 illegal Bangladeshi miscreants who crossed into Indian territory and forcibly took the BSF jawan into Bangladesh where he was put in the custody of the BGB.

“In response to this alarming situation, the Inspector General of BSF North Bengal has promptly reached out to the Region Commander of the North West Region, BGB, demanding the immediate release of the abducted jawan. The BSF actively worked to secure the safe return of its personnel. The jawan was returned by BGB after the meeting between the Sector Commanders,” the statement said. 

The BSF said that it condemns this act of aggression and lodged a formal protest against the actions of the Bangladeshi miscreants. It urged the BGB to instruct its citizens to refrain from such unlawful activities. “The BSF remains committed to its policy of zero firing along the border and seeks cooperation from BGB to ensure safety and security for all,” it said.