BSF rescues 10 Bangladeshis after boat capsizes in Ganga

Border Security Force (BSF) personnel rescued 10 Bangladeshi nationals, including a weeks-old infant, two other children, and three women, after their engine-powered boat capsized in the Padma-Ganga on Saturday afternoon. The passengers were swept toward the Indian bank. Officials said the group was pulled from strong currents near the Khandua border outpost, received medical care, and was handed back to Bangladeshi authorities that same night.
The journey began around 5 pm on September 12 from Bakher Ali, also called Alimnagar Ghat, in Chapainawabganj Sadar upazila. The boat was headed to Jahurpur Bokripara in Narayanpur union, a short river crossing that locals use frequently. About 20 minutes into the trip, strong winds and a powerful mid-stream current overturned the vessel.

The passengers were thrown into the water and carried toward Indian territory along the Murshidabad-Malda border. Troops from the BSF’s 71st Battalion, stationed near the Khandua border outpost in the Malda Sector, saw several people struggling in the river and in immediate danger of drowning.

The team sent a speedboat from the Taranagar area in Lalgola. They managed to bring all 10 people ashore despite high waves. The rescued group included four men, three women, and three children. Among them was an infant, about 30 days old, who the BSF said was in critical condition.

First aid was given at the scene, and the group was taken to a Government hospital. Officials later said the infant had stabilised and was in normal condition. Bangladeshi officials identified the 10 as Russel, 26; Ibrahim, 50; Sawdagar, 40; Ibrahim, 60; Sakhina, 45; Nilufa, 35; Tania, 22, and her infant; and two boys, Sanaullah, 9, and Al Amin, 9. All are residents of Jahurpur Bokripara.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) said the boat was carrying 12 passengers. One man, Wasim, about 25, swam back to the Bangladeshi bank and was taken to the Bakher Ali BGB camp. Lieutenant Colonel Kazi Mustafizur Rahman, commander of BGB’s 53rd Battalion, said another passenger, Mostafa, 60, was still missing and that search efforts were ongoing.

A local ghat lessee said separately that no one was missing, so public reports did not confirm this. The BSF said the survivors told troops they were travelling from Chapai Nawabganj to Joharpur when the boat suddenly capsized, and the current pushed them onto the Indian side. The force treated the case as a humanitarian rescue, not an infiltration attempt. After medical checks and the required formalities, officials handed over the 10 to the 53rd Battalion of the BGB around 10 pm on Saturday at the Faridpur border.

The transfer followed a flag meeting between company commanders from the Khandua BSF camp and the Faridpur BOP. The BGB later reunited the group with their relatives in front of local public representatives.
The accident happened on a stretch where the Ganga, known as the Padma in Bangladesh, forms a shifting mid-river boundary.

Small boats are still the main way to travel between ghats and char settlements, but strong currents and sudden monsoon winds make crossings dangerous, especially for families with young children. Water levels in Chapainawabganj were still high at the time, though official readings the next morning showed a slight drop.

Police and fire service teams also responded on the Bangladeshi side after news of the capsize spread. By Sunday, the BSF described the operation as swift and courageous, and credited the alert troops at Khandua for noticing the distress in time. Ten lives, including an infant who was in critical condition, were saved and returned home within hours.