BGB Rejects ‘Misleading’ Reports on BSF Conference

In a statement issued on Monday, BGB said certain individuals and a small number of media outlets had been spreading confusion by presenting assumptions, incomplete analyses and comments that do not reflect the actual proceedings of the conference.

BGB said the Bangladesh delegation, led by the BGB Director General, included senior officials from the Home Ministry, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Shipping, Department of Land Records and Surveys, Joint Rivers Commission and other relevant agencies.

According to the statement, Bangladesh placed 31 agenda items before the conference, while India raised 21 issues. The decisions and understandings reached during the discussions were formally recorded in the Joint Record of Discussions (JRD), the official document signed by the Director Generals of both BGB and BSF.

The force said Bangladesh gave the highest priority to border killings and alleged push-ins during the conference. It said the country's firm position on stopping the deaths of unarmed and innocent Bangladeshi citizens along the border and reducing border killings to zero was clearly reflected in the JRD.

BGB also said concerns regarding push-ins, border killings, illegal infrastructure construction within 150 yards of the international border, drug smuggling, border security and the activities of armed groups in the hill regions were not only discussed but formally documented in the joint record.

According to the statement, a review of the JRD would show that all concerns and positions raised by Bangladesh were included clearly and firmly without compromise.

BGB added that its press release issued on June 12 was prepared based on the contents of the Joint Record of Discussions.

The force also dismissed reports describing the BGB Director General's meeting with India's Home Minister as a "secret meeting."

It said courtesy meetings between the head of a visiting border force and the host country's home minister or relevant adviser are an established practice in every border conference.

BGB noted that during the 56th border conference held in Dhaka in 2025, the BSF Director General similarly met the Home Adviser of Bangladesh's interim government.

According to the statement, the meeting between the BGB Director General, other senior BGB officials and Indian Home Minister Amit Shah had been pre-scheduled and approved before the delegation travelled to India. During the meeting, Bangladesh's concerns over border killings and push-ins were strongly conveyed, it said.

Calling attempts to portray such diplomatic interactions as secretive "baseless and misleading," BGB said courtesy meetings with senior officials of the host country are a normal diplomatic practice.

The border force further said that since August 5, 2024, it has taken a firm stance under the leadership of its Director General against border killings, push-ins, illegal fencing, drug and human trafficking, instability along the Myanmar border and armed groups operating in remote areas of the Chattogram Hill Tracts.

BGB said efforts to spread misinformation and launch personal attacks against its top leadership without evidence amounted to attempts to undermine the morale of the force.

The organisation stressed that responsible and fact-based journalism is essential in matters involving border killings, push-ins, transnational crimes, drug trafficking and border security.

While opinions and analyses are welcome, they should be based on verified information, authentic documents and the complete views of all relevant parties, the statement added.

BGB reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining the highest standards of professionalism, transparency and responsibility in carrying out its duties in the future, reports UNB.