[🇧🇩-Land] Atrocities of BSF/How BGB responds

[Old School]

You are getting ridiculous by just pointing at the fact that BSF is a paramilitary force. You are forgetting that this was the period a large number of Army regulars were a part of BSF. You are the one who is unable to swallow the fact that BSF has done alot for Bangladesh during the war, given your obsession of putting it down for the sake of your own circlejerk.

If there was no Mukti Bahini and Refugees moving to India, why would India care about Pakistanis killing Pakistanis? 3 million were killed when India intervened, more would have died without India.

Your point of Monsoon being brought up here cannot be comprehended as that was militarily sound, and cannot be used as an argument here.

The Indian Army only trained some, as BSF did the heavy lifting, the same force which you hate just because some Bangladeshis crossed the border illegally.

Without India's intervention, despite how much of a good job Mukti Bahini performed in punishing the Pakistanis, Searchlight would have been easily converted to another similar operation, given the likelihood of their assets in the West being freed.

Pulling up Lt Gen Jacob's writing is an effective way of using different information to obscure the main fact of the matter.

India (via BSF) armed and aided Mukti Bahini to ensure it was an effective fighting force. Yes, the regiment did good, but without outside support, it would not be as effective as it would be.

You need to let go off your hatred to even effectively argue.

There is actually a whole book written on the BSF activities during 1971 war in East Pakistan - India’s Secret War: BSF and Nine Months to the birth of Bangladesh by Ushinor Majumdar

Here are the review and some excerpts :
"The BSF was working deep inside the East Pakistan hinterland. “The joint team of the Mukti Bahini and BSF began to watch for patterns, and also worked with villagers for intelligence on troop movements,” writes Majumdar. That gave them an opportunity to welcome the Awami League leaders, set them up in Calcutta and spirit away a diplomatic mission from under the noses of the Pakistani foreign service. There are many more instances of such aces that India used to trump the Pakistanis".

"The author chronicles the life and times of a young Roopak Ranjan Mitra who was among the first batch of Platoon Commander Direct Entry (PCDE) for the BSF that penetrated East Pakistan and disrupted the night patrols of the East Pakistani soldiers. Mitra and other BSF personnel left their identity cards back at their camps, donned civvies and went deep into East Pakistan to raid Pakistan Army installations and ambush their troop movements".

You can read the review here: Inside bloodied East Pakistan, through BSF’s eyes - The Sunday Guardian Live or buy the book.

 

[Saif]

Body of teen killed in BSF firing returned in the dark of night

Breaking News, International News & Multimedia

thedailynewnation.com

Body of teen killed in BSF firing returned in the dark of night​

28 Mar 2024, 11:41 am

UNB:

The body of a Bangladeshi farmer, who was shot to death allegedly by India’s Border Security Force (BSF) along the Nitpur border in Porsha upazila of Naogaon on Tuesday, was handed over to Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) on Wednesday night.

BSF members handed over the body of Al Amin through 236 main pillars of the bordering area at Hapania around 10 pm after a flag meeting between the border forces of Bangladesh and India, said Subedar Mahfuzur Rahman of Nitpur BGB camp.

Public representatives and police officers of Porsha Police Station were also present there.

On March 26, Al Amin was shot dead when the BSF members from Mil Mari of Malda district in India opened fire on him along Nitpur border area in Porsha upazila.​

 

[Saif]

You are getting ridiculous by just pointing at the fact that BSF is a paramilitary force. You are forgetting that this was the period a large number of Army regulars were a part of BSF. You are the one who is unable to swallow the fact that BSF has done alot for Bangladesh during the war, given your obsession of putting it down for the sake of your own circlejerk.

If there was no Mukti Bahini and Refugees moving to India, why would India care about Pakistanis killing Pakistanis? 3 million were killed when India intervened, more would have died without India.

Your point of Monsoon being brought up here cannot be comprehended as that was militarily sound, and cannot be used as an argument here.

The Indian Army only trained some, as BSF did the heavy lifting, the same force which you hate just because some Bangladeshis crossed the border illegally.

Without India's intervention, despite how much of a good job Mukti Bahini performed in punishing the Pakistanis, Searchlight would have been easily converted to another similar operation, given the likelihood of their assets in the West being freed.

Pulling up Lt Gen Jacob's writing is an effective way of using different information to obscure the main fact of the matter.

India (via BSF) armed and aided Mukti Bahini to ensure it was an effective fighting force. Yes, the regiment did good, but without outside support, it would not be as effective as it would be.

You need to let go off your hatred to even effectively argue.

You are free to glorify BSF's role during our liberation war but the fact remains the same that your lota carrying BSF was not responsible for training and equipping Mukti Bahini. It was the Indian army and RAW who played the pivotal role in training and equipping M,ukti bahini to fight against the Pakistani army.

India did not help us just because 10 million refugees moved into India to save their lives from the Pakistani army. India helped us in our liberation war to gain its strategic goal of dismembering Pakistan.

Follow the link below to read the article about who trained and equipped Mukti Bahini to fight against the Pakistani army. The author of the article is an India army top brass. Here is the link:

How the Mukti Bahini was trained

On May 1, 1971, General SHFJ Manekshaw issued the Indian Army Operational Instruction No. 52. A structured policy to provide training facilities and logistical and operational support for the liberation of Bangladesh was prepared by Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora, General Officer...

www.thedailystar.net

 

[Aestas Vivax]

You are free to glorify BSF's role during our liberation war but the fact remains the same that your lota carrying BSF was not responsible for training and equipping Mukti Bahini. It was the Indian army and RAW who played the pivotal role in training and equipping M,ukti bahini to fight against the Pakistani army.

India did not help us just because 10 million refugees moved into India to save their lives from the Pakistani army. India helped us in our liberation war to gain its strategic goal of dismembering Pakistan.

Follow the link below to read the article about who trained and equipped Mukti Bahini to fight against the Pakistani army. The author of the article is an India army top brass. Here is the link:

How the Mukti Bahini was trained

On May 1, 1971, General SHFJ Manekshaw issued the Indian Army Operational Instruction No. 52. A structured policy to provide training facilities and logistical and operational support for the liberation of Bangladesh was prepared by Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora, General Officer...

www.thedailystar.net

Yes, that is why I mentioned.

India should have let pakistan finish the job

 

[Saif]

BSF kills 3 Bangladeshis in 5 days

Another Bangladeshi national was shot dead in Lalmonirhat border by the Indian Border Security Force on Saturday, taking to three the number of deaths in...

www.newagebd.net

BSF kills 3 Bangladeshis in 5 days
Staff Correspondent | Published: 00:52, Mar 31,2024

Another Bangladeshi national was shot dead in Lalmonirhat border by the Indian Border Security Force on Saturday, taking to three the number of deaths in BSF shootings in the past five days.

New Age correspondent in Lalmonirhat reported that a Bangladeshi citizen was killed and two others were injured in firing by the Indian BSF along the border in Lalmonirhat's Kaliganj Upazila early Saturday.

The deceased, Murali Chandra, 42, was killed four days after the BSF killed 20-year-old Liton Mia on March 26 in Lalmonirhat.

The injured are Mizanur Rahman and Liton Mia, residents of the neighbouring Chandrapur area.

Lalmonirhat 15 BGB battalion commander Lieutenant Colonel Md Mofazzal Hossain Akand confirmed the matter.

According to Border Guard Bangladesh, members of a patrol team of 75-Chitrakot BSF camp opened fire on some Bangladeshi cattle traders along the border, leaving Murali dead and two others injured at about 3:00am.

He told New Age on Saturday that the body was kept in police custody and a letter was sent to the BSF.

When the injured were dragged inside Bangladesh, the family members sent them to the hospital.

Murali died on his way to Rangpur for better treatment.

On information, the Kaliganj police recovered the body and took it to the police station.

Kaliganj police station officer-in-charge Imtiaz Kadir said, 'We have recovered the body. Further legal action will be taken after investigation.'

Earlier, two Bangladeshi youths– Liton Mia, 20, and Al-Amin, 32, were killed along the border in Naogaon and Lalmonirhat by the Indian BSF on March 26.

BSF took the bodies and did not return them till the evening on March 27, according to local people.

On March 17, the BSF killed a Bangladeshi teenage boy and injured another at bordering Moulvibazar village.

At least 20 Bangladeshi nationals, including a BGB member, had been killed in the firing by the Indian BSF since June 2023, according to rights group Ain o Salish Kendra reports updated in January.​

 

[Saif]

‘Border killings rooted in discrimination against the marginalised’

Kirity Roy, secretary of Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), a rights organisation based in West Bengal, India, discusses the underlying issues behind border killings at the Bangladesh-India border, in an exclusive interview with Naimul Alam Alvi of The Daily Star.

www.thedailystar.net

Border killings rooted in discrimination against the marginalised'

Kirity Roy, secretary of Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), a rights organisation based in West Bengal, India, discusses the underlying issues behind border killings at the Bangladesh-India border, in an exclusive interview with Naimul Alam Alvi of The Daily Star.

The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and India's Border Security Force (BSF), along with the governments on both sides, have repeatedly pledged to reduce border killings to zero. But this goal remains unmet. Why is it so?

One of the primary reasons behind killings at the Bangladesh-India border is that the border guards of both countries are corrupt. Many BGB and BSF members profit from smuggling—be it human or cattle trafficking, or smuggling of other goods. Smugglers from both sides of the border pay money, and these individuals get their share. That's why they turn a blind eye to these things. In some cases, there is retaliation, which sometimes ends in border killings. But the people who get killed are just carriers; the kingpins remain out of reach.

The Constitution of India clearly says that the state will not discriminate among people, and there will be no discriminatory policies. But it seems that for India, it is accepted that there's a difference between the Bhutan or Nepal border and the Bangladesh border, based on how they are treated. There's no opposition to this state of affairs from the governmental level, and no political parties are concerned about this. So this issue persists.
​

If you can just take some cows across the border, or throw a sack over the fence, there is money. The border guards will allow it, and even the police will guard you. But we have to understand that these people are not the kingpins of cross-border smuggling—they are just carriers.​

Why is there a different attitude towards the Bangladesh-India border?

When the subcontinent became "independent" from the British, without being fully decolonised, they divided two countries according to the two-nation theory—that Hindus and Muslims are different. When India and Pakistan were born, they had a hostile, antagonistic attitude towards each other, which still exists and is even being nurtured by religious political parties. I'm not saying all Hindus or all Muslims are against each other, but there is enough of this kind of attitude between the two groups across the subcontinent. Since 1971, Bangladesh has not been a part of Pakistan, but it seems that this truth has not been processed by many individuals in the Indian foreign ministry, the military, and the BSF.

The BSF was formed in 1965 as a result of the Indo-Pak war. So, there is an innate narrative that "Pakistan is our enemy," which has turned into "Muslims are our enemy." This is projected towards Bangladesh as well.

The India that was promised in 1947 is not the same as the India of today. There is now a Hindu nationalist party in power. Similarly, the Bangladesh of 1971, which was secular, is not the same Bangladesh now. The Hindu nationalist party carries resentment for Muslims in general. Incidentally, Bangladesh happens to fall under that criterion.

Why do people cross the border illegally in the first place?

The 1947 Partition of the subcontinent, particularly Bengal, was carried out in a blatantly arbitrary and inconsiderate manner, the repercussions of which are still felt. The partition divided many families: there are families now on both sides of the border who have relatives on the other side. They have been and will continue to try to visit their relatives; you cannot restrict them with passports, visas or barbed-wire fences. There are many who don't have passports, or can't afford to get passports and visas easily. Still, they want to visit their relatives, or their ancestral homes, just like they have been doing for generations since before Partition.

In addition, people migrate in search of work, a better life, and better livelihood options. People have been doing this since before Partition, and even now after the borders have been armed with barbed wire. This kind of migration should be understood and handled considering the region's history and complexity, considering push factors and pull factors. It is the states' responsibility to focus on these factors, instead of taking action against these people.

From what I've seen, people living in the border areas, on both sides, are extremely marginalised. In India, the majority of people living in border regions are Muslims and Hindu Dalits—both religiously and socio-economically marginalised communities in the country. On your side of the border, too, there are Hindu Dalits, or Muslims from poor communities. And in both countries, border areas and these communities are not the focus of development.

For a better living, these marginalised people are forced to seek different ways to make a living. On the other hand, as I have said, smuggling is allowed and supported by different parts of the system—local politicians, government figures, and border guards. So, smuggling has become an attainable opportunity for these people. If you can just take some cows across the border, or throw a sack over the fence, there is money. The border guards will allow it, and even the police will guard you. But we have to understand that these people are not the kingpins of cross-border smuggling—they are just carriers.

You've commented on one of our reports that these are "systematic killings." Can you elaborate?

The BSF has firearms, but Indian law doesn't allow using firearms just because you have them. Still, they are using it against people crossing the border, and nobody's actually stopping them. Their primary argument for this is that they act in self-defence. More often than not, these stories of self-defence are found to be fabricated. It's true that in some cases the smugglers do attack the BSF. But in most cases, people who are carrying cows, sugar or gold across the border are not armed. Nevertheless, they are shot at.

On the other hand, our state police, local politicians, and BSF personnel get their share from the smugglers. So, this smuggling is supported by bigger players, but the people who carry the goods are actually victims.

Under criminal law, this migration may be considered a crime, but the fundamental human need to survive transcends such laws. The issue cannot be effectively solved with legislation like the Foreigners' Act or the Entry Act. Similarly, threats of imprisonment, and use of lethal weapons are inhumane and ineffective. When a state only considers its political stance and doesn't prioritise the issues and benefits of its citizens, it enables negative impacts on people.

The justice delivery systems in both countries are still not modern. The British left decades ago, but we have not changed many colonial rules, systems and approaches to justice. The Indian Penal Code and the Police Regulations, Bengal have their origins in colonial rule. Your Police Act, too, has its roots there. We have our independence, but our judiciary system, law enforcement are not free, and we are not free from the colonial hangover.

How is this system affecting people in terms of human rights?

The focus of this conversation is on border killings and inhumane behaviour towards marginalised people in border areas, but people are treated badly in many ways. For instance, look at the prisons—there are many foreign captives in jankhalash cases. Among them, many were supposed to be freed and returned to their country many years ago. Many have been through trial, and the court has released them. But somehow their verification issued by the country of origin has not come yet. Why does it take months, and even years to complete such menial work? Why is it not a priority, and solved in time so that these people do not have to remain in jail even after they have served their sentences, or have been released by the court? This is the result of the judiciary system, government, administration, police, home department, and foreign department all being insensitive and inhumane towards people. They still have that colonial mindset and colonial structure. Even if we have laws that ensure equality and do not allow discrimination towards people, nothing will change until we change this mindset.

There are even international laws that ensure human rights for all. There are different declarations, and statements to ensure human rights. But these are just not implemented. Bangladesh has signed many international treaties which will support these marginalised people and their human rights. However, India has not signed many of them. Without working for all of the people, how can we consider the country truly democratic?

What can we do to improve the situation?

We, like many human rights organisations on both sides of the border, are trying to reach the victims and support them in their legal battles, or getting treatment. We try to collect information and facts from different sources, analyse them and present them to the public and to civil society. We try to advocate for governance reforms in the criminal justice system to make it more humane. We try to work for the comprehensive implementation of what is in the constitution—freedom and equality.

Unfortunately, the governments in both countries consider anyone opposing any of their actions as their enemy. Human rights activists, who demand justice for the people, are treated as enemies of the state and are thrown in jail. If that is the case, if the governments do not want to change, how can you make any reform? We cannot reform law enforcement, the justice system or the governance system until the government is onboard. Until it shows good intentions, this fight for human rights has to continue.​

 

[Saif]

India’s border violence

INCIDENTS of shootings or killings on the border of two hostile neighbouring countries are not rare. But the case of one country regularly...

www.newagebd.net

India's border violence
Kallol Mustafa | Published: 00:00, Apr 02,2024 | Updated: 22:44, Apr 01,2024

An image of a portion of Bangladesh-India border. —Web

INCIDENTS of shootings or killings on the border of two hostile neighbouring countries are not rare. But the case of one country regularly shooting and killing citizens of the other country on the border of two countries claiming officially to be 'friends' cannot be found anywhere else in the world except the Bangladesh-India border. Even on the Independence Day that India boasts of having helped Bangladesh achieve, two Bangladeshi citizens were shot dead by the Indian Border Security Force.

The BSF shot three Bangladeshi nationals dead in five days at the end of March alone. Earlier in January, two persons were shot dead by the BSF, including one Border Guard Bangladesh member. Killing along the Bangladesh-India border has been rising gradually over the last three years, despite repeated state-level commitments to bring such killings down to zero. According to human rights organisation Ain O Salish Kendra, 31 Bangladeshis were killed by BSF along the border in 2023, of whom 28 were shot dead. The numbers of Bangladeshi citizens killed by BSF in 2021 and 2022 were 18 and 23, respectively. According to the Ain O Salish Kendra, at least 522 Bangladeshis were killed by the BSF between 2009 and 2020.

When the issue of border killings came up, the BSF usually gave the excuse of firing in 'self-defense' under 'compulsion'. For example, in July 2022, the then director general of India's Border Security Force, Pankaj Kumar Singh, tried to justify the killing of Bangladeshi nationals, terming them as 'criminals'. He claimed that all those killed were involved in various crimes, including drug trade and cattle smuggling, as if the BSF could stamp any foreign citizen as a criminal without any trial and then kill the alleged criminal at will!

First, cattle smuggling, like all other commodity smuggling, is a joint venture involving both Indian and Bangladeshi sellers and buyers. The rules of a market economy dictate that any commercial transaction, whether legal or illegal, can only take place if both parties benefit. In this regard, Kirity Roy, secretary of Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha, a rights organisation based in West Bengal, has rightly said, 'The story that is told to justify border killing is also not true. They say cattle are smuggled across the border, and those smugglers are killed. It seems as if cows are born at the border and smuggled into Bangladesh. In fact, these cows are brought from Haryana and Punjab, crossing 2,000 to 2,500 kilometres of distance in India. The cattle are brought on foot, by truck, or by train. Is it believable that no one sees these? Nobody stops these because everyone gets their share. The real issue here is corruption; the BSF kills when there is a dispute with the distribution of the spoils.'

Secondly, neither the Indian Penal Code nor any international law allows shooting or killing a smuggler at will. Anyone crossing the border illegally can be arrested and prosecuted. India ignores all internationally accepted border control protocols and bilateral border management instruments like the Joint India-Bangladesh Guidelines for Border Authorities of the Two Countries, 1975, and the India-Bangladesh Coordinated Border Management Plan, 2011. For example, to avoid the possibility of 'unpleasant incidents', according to Article 8(i) of the Joint India-Bangladesh Guidelines for Border Authorities of the Two Countries, 1975, if nationals of one country ingress the working boundary and enter illegally and commit or attempt to commit an offence, the border security forces would be at liberty to take appropriate action in the exercise of the 'right to private defence' preferably without resorting to fire (emphasis added). And according to Article 8(m), whenever any cattle are alleged to have been lifted across the border, a report will be lodged with the opposite post commander (emphasis added), to whom the details, such as the tracks of the cattle and the criminals involved, etc, will be handed over. The border post commander concerned will acknowledge receipt of the report and then inform the nearest police station in his own country, who will make all efforts to recover the cattle and apprehend the criminals.

But does the BSF follow this simple procedure to prevent smuggling while avoiding 'unpleasant incidents'? Evidence suggests otherwise. According to an investigation report by Human Rights Watch titled 'Trigger Happy': Excessive Use of Force by Indian Troops at the Bangladesh Border', all the victims of BSF killings were either unarmed or armed with only sickles, sticks, and knives, which suggests that in shooting victims, the BSF are likely to have used excessive force. In a number of cases, the victims were shot in the back, suggesting that they were running away. In others, injuries indicate the person was shot at close range, with witnesses often alleging that the person was tortured and killed in BSF custody. In none of the cases investigated by Human Rights Watch did the BSF show that it had recovered lethal weapons or explosives that could pose an imminent threat of death or serious injury that might justify killings in self-defence.

Thirdly, incidents like the Felani killings make it clear that the BSF's pretext of self-defence is bogus. How could an unarmed teenage girl like Felani Khatun, whose clothes were stuck in barbed wire, pose a threat to the heavily armed BSF? After the killing of Felani by the Indian BSF in the early hours of January 7, 2011, her body was hanging on the barbed wire fence for a long time. The image of the hanging body of the teenage girl on the barbed wire sparked outrage and protests at home and abroad.

But even after such an incident, the BSF member who killed Felani was not punished; rather, the BSF court acquitted him. Then the case was brought to the Supreme Court of India, but it has not been heard yet. Felani's mother, Jahanara Begum, who was angry and disappointed at not getting justice, said that no one should lose her child; not even a bird should die at the hands of the BSF on the border. Felani's mother wanted not a single bird to die in the hands of BSF, but alas, BSF is continuing to kill people like birds on the Bangladesh-India border!

It is clear from all these incidents that no matter how friendly it claims to be, India's behaviour in border management is that of an aggressive and dominating eighbor. It is noteworthy that the Indian BSF, which behaves as 'trigger happy' on the border of its 'friendly' neighbour Bangladesh, does not behave the same way on the borders with hostile neighbours like China or Pakistan. There may be a state of war and isolated shootings and killings on those borders, but there are no such one-sided border killings like on the Bangladesh-India border.

Although the Indian BSF has been carrying out serial killings on the border of Bangladesh, rarely is there any strong protest from the Bangladesh government. On the one hand, Bangladesh is unilaterally giving various favours and facilities to India, including transit, connectivity, ports and the business of power and energy. On the other hand, India is depriving Bangladesh of its fair share of trans-boundary river water while killing Bangladeshi citizens one after another on the border.

In this kind of scenario, the government of Bangladesh could take a strict and clear stand against the killings of the BSF on the border and demand a trial and investigation of every such incident, leveraging India's strategic dependence on Bangladesh for transit and connectivity. But no such attempt has been made by the Bangladesh government to turn the issue of border killings into a bilateral and international issue, which clearly indicates Bangladesh's weak foreign policy towards India.

In order to stop the border killings, it is necessary for the Bangladesh government to put effective pressure on India in bilateral and multilateral forums and be vocal about investigating and prosecuting every incident of border killings.

Kallol Mustafa is an engineer and writer who focuses on power, energy, environment and development economics.
​

 

[Vikings]

.

India should have let Pakistan finish it's job in 71.

Sir things aren't black and white as many people think! There are multiple stories in the market , let people decide which one they shall believe!

Also ,I suggest you to read the book "Dead reckoning" written by Sharmila Bose.

Also any war crime by Pakistan armed forces still isn't recognised internationally because of 3M propaganda!

So what Pakistani job was stopped by India is not clear! Thanks.

 

[Saif]

Bangladeshi farmer killed in BSF firing

The Indian Border Security Force shot dead a Bangladeshi farmer along the Patgram border area of northern Lalmonirhat district on...

www.newagebd.net

Bangladeshi farmer killed in BSF firing
Our Correspondent . Lalmonirhat 26 April, 2024, 13:14

The Indian Border Security Force shot dead a Bangladeshi farmer along the Patgram border area of northern Lalmonirhat district on Friday, officials said.

The farmer, Abul Kalam Dakhu, 30, son of late Afar Uddin of Srirampur union under the Patgram upazila, was shot at along the border in the Srirampur union of Patgram and died on his way to the nearby Patgram Upazila Health Complex.

'One bullet has exited through his left chest,' said Patgram police station assistant sub-inspector Shahanur Rahman.

He was married and was a farmer.

With him, three Bangladeshis have been killed in BSF firing along the Lalmonirhat border in a month.

Police and Border Guard Bangladesh officials said that a group of Bangladeshis went to the bordering Patgram area in the predawn hours.

A team of the 169 Duradavari BSF camp that was on duty at the Indian border fired at them, leaving Abul Kalam injured.

Abul Kalam died on his way to a nearby health facility while he was being taken there by his associates.

The trend of killing Bangladeshi nationals along the Bangladesh-India border by the Indian Border Security Force is rising, with at least six Bangladeshis being killed in the first three months of this year, while four people were killed in the same period in the past year.

Rights group Ain O Salish Kendra documented that 30 Bangladeshis were killed at the hands of the Indian BSF alone in 2023, while the number was 23, including 16 shooting deaths, in 2022.

At least 1,236 Bangladeshis were killed and 1,145 injured in shootings by the Indian border force between 2000 and 2020, according to another rights organisation, Odhikar.

Bangladesh and India share a 4,100-kilometre-long international border, the fifth-longest land border in the world.​

 

[Bilal9]

India should have let Pakistan finish it's job in 71.

The two topics are not related.

I know it feels good to get hate off your chest, but there is no relationship between the two.

One is a freedom issue that devolved into a civil war. The other is an undisciplined law and order entity in India that does not follow the diktat of its own commanders.

Even this week - BSF leaders promised sitting in Dhaka in a conference with the BGB (like they have for the last twenty years) that non-lethal force will be used at the border and that border killing will be reduced to zero. This was at the behest of senior AL leaders (home minister) who have been forced to take a stand.

BSF leaders' words cannot be relied upon, which has been proven time and again. Just lip service.

If this continues - bilateral relations (especially trade) will be affected. Solving this problem is not difficult for the Indian side.

Murder at the border cannot be a mantra of any civilized state.

One can already see a reaction to this in the popular "India Out" movement in Bangladesh - which has already snow-balled. It will only get worse.

 

[Saif]

Border killings by BSF rise despite repeated pledges

The increasing shooting deaths of Bangladeshi nationals at the hands of the Indian Border Security Force on the international border have left rights campaigners in...

www.newagebd.net

Border killings by BSF rise despite repeated pledges
Muktadir Rashid 03 May, 2024, 23:53

The increasing shooting deaths of Bangladeshi nationals at the hands of the Indian Border Security Force on the international border have left rights campaigners in both countries concerned and frustrated.

The recent incidents showed that the BSF bullets pierced the upper parts of the victims' bodies. Neither of the counties has carried out any joint or separate investigation into the incidents yet.

Rights group Ain O Salish Kendra said that the BSF killed six Bangladeshis in the first three months of the year, despite renewed promises from the top leadership of the Indian border force in Dhaka in early March.

On April 2, Saiful Islam, 30, of Gomastapur upazila under Chapainawabganj district, was shot dead.

Robiul Islam, brother of the deceased, told New Age that Saiful was shot once from behind, and the bullet pierced through his chest.

On Friday, the Indian border force shot dead another 30-year-old Bangladeshi farmer, Abul Kalam Dukhu, along the Patgram border area of northern Lalmonirhat district.

'One bullet has pierced through his left chest,' said Patgram police station assistant sub-inspector Shahanur Rahman.

BGB director general Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui told New Age on Sunday that all the death incidents occurred within the Indian territory from the zero line—starting from a few hundred metres to even a few kilometres inside India.

'Despite the killing happening inside India, we send strong protest notes in every case and organise flag meetings,' he said.

In the 54th director general-level border conference in Dhaka in March, the BGB chief urged his Indian counterpart to adopt 'necessary measures' to reduce the border killings to zero, considering the 'sound bilateral relation' between the two neighbours.

In response, the Indian Border Security Force director general, Nitin Agrawal, has renewed his promise to bring down the number of shooting deaths or injuries of Bangladeshi civilians along their shared border to zero.

The data from the rights group ASK, however, shows that three more Bangladeshis were killed in April alone.

'The continuous reports of shooting incidents are frustrating us,' said Kamal Uddin Ahmed, the chairman of Bangladesh's National Human Rights Commission.

'We have not heard of such incidents with Pakistan or other borders of [India].'

Kirity Roy, secretary of Manabadhikar Surakkha Mancha, better known as MASUM, a West Bengal-based human rights organisation, vented his anger over the increasing number of border killings.

'It's a bloodied border between two countries. Often killings happen under the pretext of self-defence, which is not right,' he said, adding, 'In the Indian Constitution, Article 21 ensures the right to life, but it is systematically violated by the BSF with impunity.'

'Whatever the Indian government commits is disregarded by the government employees, and the government stands like deaf and blind.'

Kirity added that the Indian NHRC is also day by day becoming a 'stooge' and oblivious to its mandate.

Mizanur Rahman, a former chairman of the NHRC who used to teach law at Dhaka University, said on Monday that the border killings had been affecting people-to-people relations between the two countries. He said that the killing must be stopped.

The trend of killing Bangladeshis by the Indian Border Security Force is rising, with at least six Bangladeshis being killed in the first three months of this year, while four people were killed in the same period in 2023.

Rights group Ain O Salish Kendra documented that 30 Bangladeshis were killed in the hands of the Indian BSF alone in 2023, while the number was 23, including 16 shooting deaths, in 2022, and 17, including 16 shooting deaths, in 2021.

At least 1,236 Bangladeshis were killed and 1,145 injured in shootings by the Indian border force between 2000 and 2020, according to another rights organisation, Odhikar.

Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan could not be reached for his comment.

In March, the minister urged a BSF delegation led by Nitin Agrawal to bring civilian killings on the border to zero and use non-lethal weapons to this end.

Bangladesh and India share a 4,100-kilometre-long international border, the fifth-longest land border in the world.​

 

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Bangladesh for use of non-lethal weapons by BSF

Foreign minister Hasan Mahmud said on Wednesday that both the governments of India and Bangladesh had goodwill and sincerity to bring down the border killings...

www.newagebd.net

Bangladesh for use of non-lethal weapons by BSF
Staff Correspondent 10 May, 2024, 00:13

Hasan Mahmud

Foreign minister Hasan Mahmud said on Wednesday that both the governments of India and Bangladesh had goodwill and sincerity to bring down the border killings.

'We have discussed the border killing issue in detail. We have put emphasis on the use of non-lethal weapons in the meeting with the Indian foreign secretary,' Hasan told reporters at his Segunbagicha office after a meeting with India's external affairs secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra.

The Indian external affairs secretary, who arrived on a two-day visit to Bangladesh on Wednesday evening, paid a courtesy visit to the Bangladesh foreign minister at the foreign ministry.

The foreign minister said that the border forces of both countries were instructed to use non-lethal weapons, and they were 'following the instructions.'

He, however, said that non-lethal weapons act like lethal weapons when they are used in close proximity.

Hasan said they had also discussed people-to-people connectivity between the two neighbours.

'We have sought cooperation from India to import hydropower from Nepal and Bhutan through Indian territory,' he said.

Two Bangladeshi youths were shot dead by BSF at the Tetulia border in Panchagarh in the early hours of Wednesday.

The latest incident of border killings took place hours before the arrival of India's foreign secretary Kwatra.

Human Rights Support Society, in a statement on Wednesday, reported that the BSF killed at least 13 Bangladeshis and injured 10 others between January 1 and May 8.​