Bangladesh on Sunday said that border killings and "illegal push-ins" by India will be among the issues that will be discussed in the upcoming meeting between the heads of both the countries' border security forces that is scheduled to take place between June 8 and 11.
The 57th edition of the bi-annual Director General-level border coordination conference between the Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) will be held in New Delhi.
"The situation on the frontier, bilateral cooperation and particularly the issue of illegal push-ins will be placed with importance (by BGB)," Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed told reporters at his office.
India maintains that "only illegal intruders" are pushed into Bangladesh following due procedures.
New Delhi says its policy is that "all illegal foreign nationals staying in India must be repatriated as per our laws, procedure and established bilateral arrangements."
Last month, responding to a remark by a Bangladeshi minister on the issue, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "We expect Bangladesh to expedite nationality verification so that repatriation of illegal immigrants can take place in a smooth manner."
At the four-day conference starting Monday, the Bangladeshi delegation will be led by BGB chief Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui while the Indian team will be headed by BSF DG Praveen Kumar.
The conference comes as BGB intensified vigil along its frontiers with India to halt what it calls "illegal push-in" attempts in recent weeks.
"Our BGB men remain on high alert along the frontier. Any attempt of illegal push-ins or unlawful border crossings will be firmly resisted," the state-run BSS news agency quoted Ahmed as saying.
The term "push-in" is typically used to describe the action of people, believed to be illegal migrants, being forcefully sent across borders.
Countries that send them back often use the term "pushback."
India shares a 4,096 km long international border with Bangladesh, out of which about 860 km remains unfenced, including 174.51 km of the "not feasible for fencing" gap.
The DG-level border talks between the countries were held annually between 1975 and 1992, but they were made bi-annual in 1993, with either side alternatively travelling to the national capitals of New Delhi and Dhaka.
(With inputs from PTI)