Siliguri: The Border Security Force (BSF) on February 1 said it had sufficient documents to prove that the 213 persons who were pushed inside Indian territory by Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) were Bangladeshi citizens.

Deputy commandant North Bengal frontier of BSF Satish Kumar said 11,000 Bangladeshi Taka, cash memo of a Dhaka clothes shop and an electricity bill of a premise in Dhaka were found from the possession of the intruders.

The intruders also said during interrogation that they had valid documents to prove their citizenship and would be able to produce them, if they were allowed to go home in Bangladesh, Kumar said.

Altogether 213 Bangladeshis comprising 65 women and 80 children were forced by the BDR to cross the border and enter India under the cover of thick fog on January 31 morning.

The Bangladeshis, mostly snake charmers, spent the night under the open sky with food being supplied by the 'gram panchayat', six yards from the 'zero line' inside India, Kumar said.

BDR and local villagers had picked up the Bangladeshis at gunpoint from Lalmunirhat district of Bangladesh where they had gone to perform and then forced them to cross the border, he said.

"The BDR action may be in retaliation to New Delhi's decision of sending back illegal Bangladeshi immigrants to their country," Kumar said.

Meanwhile, BSF and BDR reinforcements continued to be ranged along the border at Satgachi border outpost in Coochbehar district of West Bengal, Kumar said.

Officiating inspector general of BSF North Bengal Frontier K C Sharma is visiting the border outpost on February 1.

PTI