Whether your name is written on a bullet or the murky waters of Meghna, death is inevitable. It is the only thing certain in life. We may not be able to choose the way we die, but die we must.
However, there are some deaths which are totally unacceptable and unjustified. Yet these deaths, or killings to be more precise, are happening with alarming alacrity along the Bangladesh-India border. Almost every other day, sometimes even on consecutive days, Bangladeshi nationals are being shot dead, and also killed otherwise, by the Indian Border Security Forces.
These people shot along the border are neither terrorists nor militants. They pose as no security threat. They are mostly cattle traders and other unarmed persons who live in close proximity to the border.
Just this Sunday, 25 September, 25-year-old Bahauddin was killed by members of India’s BSF at Roumari, Kurigram. Two days before that. on 23 September, the BSF men shot dead two Bangladeshis in Kurigram and Jhenidah districts. And before that there were more…
According to the human and legal rights organisation Ain-O-Salish Kendra, between January and 25 September this year, a total of 28 Bangladeshis were killed by the BSF personnel along the borders. In 2015 this number stood at 46.
In the last 10 years, BSF shot and killed 591 Bangladeshi nationals along the border.
In the meantime, Bangladesh has restricted its response to “strong protest notes” from the respective BGB commanders at various outposts along the border. India responds with reassurances.
It is understandable that we don’t want to provoke a big and powerful neighbour, but at what cost? Do we have no obligations to the people of our own land? Does their security mean nothing? Does the image of the young girl Felani draped over the barbed wire border fencing do nothing to our hearts and heads, let alone our consciences?
A former foreign secretary pointed out the irony of the situation, remarking that the Bangladesh-India border was the only border in the world where there was no on-going war and yet unarmed citizens were being regularly shot dead. [Prothom Alo, 26 September 2016]
Why are the border guards so “trigger-happy”? People of the areas as well as cattle traders allege that there is a lot of corruption involved.
However, whatever the case may be, the fact remains that there are laws and legalities by which intruders can be caught and punished. They need not be shot dead.
Flag meetings do not restore lives. But steps can be taken to prevent further meaningless killings. Measures must be taken.
A meeting at the director general level took place in Dhaka earlier this year between the border forces of Bangladesh and India, and another one is schedule next month in Delhi.
What will be the outcome and what was the outcome of the last meeting? There has been talk of sensitising the troops, of joint probes into the killings and so on. But the people want to see results, not listen to rhetoric.
In modern-day international relations, track-II diplomacy or people-to-people contact can play a tangible role. This is an avenue which needs to be explored further when it comes to border killings.
India’s human rights activists and organisations have not been very vocal regarding the border killings, but that does not mean they cannot be approached. They have displayed sensitivity regarding human trafficking from Bangladesh. Our human rights bodies can network with their counterparts across the border. Indian rights activists can act as pressure groups to prevent the border killings.
The fact remains that it is the Bangladesh authorities that must stand up for its citizens. What does independence and sovereignty mean if our people die unprotected and continue to fall like nine pins in a bowling alley?
Bangladesh-India friendship is at a peak and it is high time we put these strong bonds to positive use. Bilateral relations are more than just trade, cultural exchanges and backing each other at international forums. It is about human lives, too.
Had Felani’s killer been tried and punished in India, rather than acquitted, perhaps our angst would subside to an extent.
We wait with baited breath for the verdict of the retrial. If justice is done for little Felani, perhaps the people along the border would be able to sleep a little easier at night.
Source: Prothom Alo
I do not see much sense in P/Alo doing such a damaging report blaming India. It was better to ignore the shooting/killing of Bangladeshis at the border. Reason ??
Bangladesh-India border is considered a peaceful border unlike Pak-India border. BSF guns tend to get rusty from non-use & the BSF soldiers need some target practice (!). 500 Bangladeshis killed over 10 years is not a big deal. Some such occasional deaths by BSF shooting is far less than the deaths caused by our ‘king of the road’ truck drivers.
Let’s ignore BSF killing & let’s not make a mountain out of a mole !!
Let’s also not make stories of Bangladeshi girls kidnapped by Indian smugglers for jobs at Kolkata/Bombay brothels (!!). Let’s also not make news paper stories on kidneys sold to Indian patients, even at one’s own peril.
After all, we have a debt to pay to India for our independence.