Bangladesh border force chief downplays attacks on Hindu minorities, calls reports ‘exaggerated’

Bangladesh border chief dismisses post-Hasina minority attacks

Chief of Bangladesh‘s border guarding force on Thursday sought to downplay the attacks on minorities in his country that took place after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government, saying such reports were “exaggerated“. Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Director General Maj Gen Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui also said “many new issues” under the common heads were discussed during his high-level talks with an Indian delegation headed by BSF DG Daljit Singh Chawdhary in New Delhi.

Siddiqui, while speaking to reporters during a joint press conference with Chawdhary, asserted that authorities of his country took steps for the protection of the minorities as he gave example of his force “personally” extending security cover to Durga Puja pandals within 8 km of their jurisdiction along the international border. This was the first high-level meeting of the two forces after the regime change in Bangladesh in August last year.

The BGB DG also said they raised “objections” and “flagged a number of cases” during the bi-annual DG-level talks with regard to the fencing being done by India along the IB and has requested a “joint inspection” before the work is done. “The attacks on minorities (Hindu) in the recent past, I would say, that this is an exaggeration and to be honest such attacks on minorities per se did not happen.” He played down these instances saying that “overall the law and order situation was not against the minorities, it was, maybe, some bit of political problem but definitely that was not on the minorities.”

“The substantiation for this is the recently held Durga Puja which was one of the most peacefully organized and arranged Hindu festivals. The law enforcement agencies of Bangladesh were very precisely and strictly tasked by the government so that the Hindu community is able to perform…(the rituals),” the BGB chief said. He said they got “several requests (from the minority community), sometimes without any fear or any threat, and even when there was nothing substantial (vis-a-vis threats against minorities), we provided security.”

Siddiqui said such reports were more in the media, “tempting” the politicians to comment. There were such instances during the initial couple of months after August 5 (the fall of the Hasina government in 2024)…, he said. A recent report from the UN Human Rights Office said that “widespread attacks were reported against Hindu homes, businesses, and places of worship, especially in rural and historically tense areas such as Thakurgaon, Lalmonirhat, and Dinajpur, as well as other places such as Sylhet, Khulna, and Rangpur” following the fall of the Hasina Government last year.

The report said this destruction was especially prevalent in areas perceived to be sympathetic to the Awami League as Hindus have often been stereotypically associated with this political faction. The Union home ministry, soon after the regime change in Bangladesh, had constituted a committee under the ADG BSF (eastern command) to “ensure the safety of Indian citizens and people belonging to minority communities in Bangladesh.” Asked if there were any changes in the agenda points during these talks in the wake of the regime change in Bangladesh, the BGB DG said while “the broad heads might be the same but the inner text, contextual differences…(had changed) and there were many new issues under the common broadheads…”

The BSF chief, however, said the agenda points “more or less were the same with few changes here and there” as the Indo-Bangla border was a very “dynamic and active” border. The BSF DG said the Indian side “urged” BGB during the meeting to ensure that the border remains absolutely secure and no infiltration happens on the border so that such incidents of Bangladeshi criminals attacking BSF personnel and local Indians do not happen.

“The point on attacks on BSF and civilians by Bangladeshi miscreants was taken up…The government of India follows a non-lethal strategy (using non-lethal weapons first at the border)…At times taking advantage of night cover and breaching the fence some miscreants try to enter our territory and try to overwhelm or overpower the BSF personnel…,” Chawdhary said.

On the issues related to fencing discussed during the three-day talks that concluded on Thursday at the BSF headquarters, the BGB DG said they have “highlighted the number of potential cases” where the construction of development works close to the IB were being done and this was the “most focussed” agenda during the latest talks.

He said 150 yards on either side of the zero line is considered a “no man’s land” and both sides are not allowed to construct any permanent structure or any structure that has “defence potential”, without the consent of the other party. “The communication gap occurs when the fencing is required within the 150 yards…Beyond 150 yards we don’t mind at all how long, how heavy, or how high the fence is made,” Siddiqui said.

He said Bangladesh has “raised an objection” where it thought that mutual consent is yet to be done or it could be done in a better manner. Both he and the BSF DG said that they “hope to resolve these issues in the future” with the BGB DG saying a joint inspection will be carried out in such areas. Asked about the instances of illegal infiltration from Bangladesh into India, both the chiefs said such instances had actually gone down across the 4,096 km long IB, post August 5 of last year.

“Infiltration has gone substantially down and this has been done with the very active help of BGB. Throughout the crisis (ouster of the earlier government), the BGB stood shoulder-to-shoulder with us and helped us in maintaining peace and tranquility at the border,” Chawdhary said. Siddiqui said reports of permanent construction being undertaken within 150 yards of the IB, “undertaken or aided” by the BGB was “not factually correct”.

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