At least 750 individuals suspected of being Bangladeshi nationals have been detained in Agartala, the capital of India’s Tripura state, and may be pushed back to Bangladesh, according to a report by BBC Bangla. The detentions come amid a nationwide crackdown in India following a recent militant attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir.
On Thursday (May 15), 148 individuals detained in Rajasthan were transferred to Agartala, where over 600 others had already been held on suspicion of illegal residency. Indian authorities have stated that they will begin the process of returning these individuals to Bangladesh.
The crackdown has intensified in several Indian states, where law enforcement has been rounding up people suspected of being undocumented Bangladeshi migrants. Allegations of mistreatment have surfaced, and the Border Security Force (BSF) has already pushed 242 individuals back into Bangladesh over the past 15 days.
According to the Rajasthan Police, a total of 1,008 people have been detained on suspicion of being Bangladeshis. Of these, 761 have been identified as Bangladeshi nationals, while others have been released upon verification of valid Indian identification documents. Detainees are being held across four detention camps in Rajasthan.
On Thursday, 30 more individuals were pushed back through the Kulaura and Barolekha borders in Moulvibazar. Among those returned through Kulaura, four were from Charbitari in Kurigram’s Nageshwari upazila, and 10 were from Dhaniram village in Fulbari upazila. Sixteen people were handed over to Barolekha Police Station by the BGB after their return via the Barolekha border.
Drone Recovered at Hili Border
Separately, a drone was recovered from a paddy field along the Hili border in Dinajpur. According to Hakimpur Police Station Officer-in-Charge SM Jahangir Alam, a local farmer discovered the drone on Wednesday afternoon (May 14) and took it home. Police and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) officials later retrieved the drone from the farmer’s residence late that night.
Investigations are underway to determine the origin and purpose of the drone.
