11 Bangladeshi nationals held while infiltrating into India: BSF

New Delhi: Eleven Bangladeshi nationals have been apprehended while trying to infiltrate into India through international border in West Bengal, Tripura and Meghalya, the Border Security Force (BSF) said on Sunday.

They are being questioned and will be handed over to state police for further legal action, a spokesperson said.

He said the BSF was in regular touch with its counterpart BGB to sort out mutual issues, especially the prevention of atrocities on Indian nationals and people from minorities communities in Bangladesh.

The South Bengal Frontier of the force headquartered in Kolkata said in a statement that its eastern command head, Additional Director General (ADG) Ravi Gandhi, chaired an operational conference on Saturday to review security along the 4,096-km-long India-Bangladesh border "amid the current unrest in Bangladesh" and the upcoming Independence Day on August 15.

It said, "11 Bangladeshi nationals have been apprehended on border while infiltrating into India. Two each were nabbed from West Bengal and Tripura borders while seven were apprehended from Meghalaya border." They are being questioned and will be handed over to state police for further legal action, he said.

The spokesperson said BSF ADG (eastern command) Ravi Gandhi chaired a meeting on Saturday to review security all along this border.

"Detailed deliberations were held to further enhance border control, security and management. Besides, it was decided to continue the close collaboration with counterpart Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB)," he said.

The BSF has been holding flag meetings with the BGB to sort out mutual issues amicably, especially for the prevention of atrocities on Indian nationals and people from minorities communities in Bangladesh and counterpart BGB has been responding well, he said.

The Union home ministry recently formed a committee under the ADG to look into issues being faced by minorities in Bangladesh following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government.