BSF Chief to Ask Bangladesh Border Guard to Stop Illegal Rohingya Migrants From Entering India

Intelligence agencies have reported that since 2012-13, nearly 40,000 Rohingya refugees crossed over to India through the Indo-Bangladesh border.

New Delhi, Sep 19: The Border Security Force (BSF) chief KK Sharma is all set to raise the Rohingya issue with the director general of border guard Bangladesh (BGB) Abul Hossain in the first week of October. Sharma is likely to ask Hossain to stop the illegal Rohingya migrants from entering India. A TOI report said that the two officers will meet in Delhi as part of the biannual DG-level talks.

The two officers are likely to discuss Rohingyas crossing over to West Bengal or the north-eastern states of India. Sharma told TOI that BSF will raise the issue of Rohingyas with the BGB and it is yet to see how they respond to the issues raised by India. (Also Read: ‘If other refugees can stay in India, why can’t Rohingyas?’ questions Owaisi)

Intelligence agencies have reported that since 2012-13, nearly 40,000 Rohingya refugees crossed over to India through the Indo-Bangladesh border. Nearly three lakh Rohingyas are currently in Bangladesh and the Indian government and intelligence agencies, according to the reports, fear that more will try to infiltrate into India.

Director general of Assam Rifles Lt General Shokin Chauhan, responsible for guarding the border with Myanmar, told TOI that the Rohingyas are not coming through “the Indo-Myanmar border at all”. (Also Read: Not Just Muslims, Rohingya Hindus Too Are Victims of Widespread Violence in Myanmar)

Chauhan asserted that “it is impossible to fence the Indo-Myanmar border” and the northeast, who have shared history, traditions, and culture with the people across the border, will not allow fencing of the border. “Because of this, there is a huge insurgency problem,” he said.

Indian External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj met Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in New York and discussed the Rohingya crisis. They also talked about the Indian operation ‘Insaniyat’, launched to help the needy in Dhaka in the time of humanitarian crisis.