Indian border forces allegedly kill 2 Bangladeshis

By Md. Kamruzzaman

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - Indian border troops allegedly shot dead two Bangladeshi cattle traders on Wednesday morning, police said.

"With the help of Border Guards Bangladesh, we recovered two bullet-ridden bodies of Bangladeshi citizens this morning," Omar Faruk, chief of the police station in the northern Lalmonirhat district frontier, told Anadolu Agency.

"One of them was found dead, the other died on way to hospital," he added.

The deceased have been identified as Suruj Islam, 18, and Suruj Mia, 37.

The bodies have been sent for autopsy.

There has been a rise in border killings of Bangladeshi citizens by Indian forces, with six deaths reported this month, according to local media reports.

Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Abdul Momen earlier this month expressed concern over the “sharp rise in border killings” by Indian forces.

Tensions are prevailing between the two South Asian states following the enactment of a controversial citizenship law by India which indirectly accuses Bangladesh of abusing minority rights. Three top Bangladeshi ministers cancelled their scheduled India visits amid the tensions.