2 Bangladeshi citizens shot dead along border allegedly by Indian forces

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – Two Bangladeshi citizens were shot dead early Sunday allegedly by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) in two separate incidents along the border, officials said.

Both the men were shot dead in two separate incidents in the southwestern Satkhira and western Chuadanga border districts of Bangladesh while they allegedly tried to cross the border illegally in order to smuggle goods and cattle, according to the officials.

Border Guard Bangladesh’s (BGB) Lt. Col. Faizur Rahman told Anadolu Agency: “We have called flag meetings at the battalion level on Sunday noon to discuss the incident. We will strongly protest the deaths,” he added.

The BSF, however, did not confirm or deny the firing when contacted following the incident, he said.

The two South Asian countries share a 4,096-kilometer (2,545-mile) international border, the fifth-longest land border in the world.

In Satkhira, the victim was identified as 25-year-old Abu Hasan. He was shot along the Khaitola border of the district early Sunday morning.

Local media reports Hasan was taken to Satkhira Sadar Hospital when locals found him unconscious. He died on the way to Khulna Medical College Hospital.

The other man was allegedly shot dead by Indian BSF along the western Chuadanga border at around 5 a.m. local time. The BSF also took away the body, according to reports.

Ain-o-Salish Kendra (ASK), a local non-government legal aid and human rights organization, said at least 8 Bangladeshis were shot dead, and seven others were injured by the BSF in the last 8 months this year.

Despite repeated commitments to not using lethal weapons along the border, the BSF was accused of violations.

Odhikar, a local human rights organization in Bangladesh, claimed in its latest report that the Indian forces have killed over 1,200 Bangladeshis along the border over the last two decades.

Both countries, however, in a joint statement earlier this month, said that they “agreed to work towards bringing the number (border killing) down to zero.”

During Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India in September, New Delhi promised to stop killings along the border.