BSF Confronts Bangladeshi Nationals Over Disputed Territory Along Assam Border

The clash began when several Bangladeshi nationals allegedly crossed into Indian territory.

Sribhumi:

A video has emerged online showing a confrontation between Border Security Force (BSF) personnel and a group of Bangladeshi nationals near the Bhanga-Harinagar sector in Assam's Sribhumi district.

The incident allegedly occurred along the border separating Assam's Cachar and Karimganj districts from Bangladesh's Sylhet region.

Tensions escalated when several Bangladeshi nationals reportedly crossed into Indian territory to cultivate vegetables on land that appeared as Surma river waters receded. A patrol team from the BSF's 170th Battalion discovered this activity and objected to the farming work, asserting that the land was within Indian territory.

According to reports, BSF personnel dismantled bamboo fences, makeshift sheds, and temporary structures built by the cultivators. This intervention apparently provoked local Bangladeshis, who gathered in significant numbers at the location and confronted the BSF patrol. In the circulating video, multiple individuals can be heard shouting slogans and verbal insults directed at the Indian forces, as the situation intensified along the border.

Witnesses reported that following the confrontation, residents from the Bangladeshi side assembled along the zero line, chanting anti-India slogans and alleging that the BSF had crossed into Bangladesh. Social media platforms in Bangladesh quickly filled with claims that Indian border guards had "encroached" across the boundary - allegations that Indian authorities have firmly denied.

Sources told NDTV that the Bangladeshi nationals had crossed the border and attempted to "claim Indian territory" after new land emerged from receding river waters. "After the river water fell, the land came out and the people from the Bangladesh side came to the location claiming Indian territory," sources added.

Following the incident, a flag meeting between the Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) was convened to defuse tensions. Both sides reportedly discussed measures to prevent further escalation and maintain peace along the international boundary.