Mohammad Ali Sattar
We don’t know whether to be happy or content with the news – the Indian authorities have taken up the issue of Felani murder by the trigger-happy high-jinks of the Indian Border guards.
More assuring has been the TV grabs depicting the movements of Felani’s relatives and BGB officials on their way to Cooch Bihar to have their say in the proceedings.
Felani is not the first case of premeditated and perverted action of the Indian border forces, nor will it be the last. Following Felanis gruesome murder by the members of the border security force, there have been more killings of Bangladeshis along the fence.
Let’s take a closer look. After every killing of a Bangladeshi by the BSF men, the Indian authorities, in meetings with Bangladeshi counterparts, assure us that there would be no more of such criminal and atrocious act. Even before such meets are over, we learn about one more brutality by the BSF gunners.
Of late the Indian authorities have compensated a family of a BSF victim. And now the
Felani murder trial is in progress in a court in India. But to our unreserved consternation, we have learnt that the assassin soldier has no qualms in committing such odious act.
The world has witnessed with awe and shock, the innocent Felani hanging against barbed wire fencing. Her corpse was handed to her parents the next day, it was a pathetic picture of the feeble young girl, her hands and feet tied up with a staff.
The unpleasant incident moved most souls in Bangladesh. But the Indians showed little reaction. Rather it gave a cold shoulder to the heartbreaking incident.
Bangladesh could not convince the big neighbor that their border guards have been murdering her people more often on the plea of being cattle-lifters or smugglers or criminals of sorts.
Why did it take more than two years for the Indian authorities to take up the trial? Is it yet another gimmick that they have up their sleeves? It is hard to trust their objective as this has much more than we behold.
Sensible quarters believe that this move is pure political consideration. It is not for the Indians to benefit. Rather the government of India would like to fine tune the “India Policy” of Bangladesh.
Post 1971 period has been different for New Delhi. It has found a more comfortable plane in the sub-continent following the disintegration of Pakistan.
What goes on in the Indian political minds is not very hard to surmise. The rapport is still far from mutually beneficial. India holds the upper hand; a ‘strategy of imposition’ is in place. India is doing little to gain the confidence of a large majority here. In the heat of things, New Delhi and regional leaders (BJP, TMC and the likes) forget the importance of healthy and happy neighbour.
See the contrasting picture in the western front. India has more thoughtful and cautious Pakistan policy in place. Pakistan has never been easy to handle! Since ‘very little’ or ‘almost nothing’ has been ‘done’ to favor the present Awami League government regarding its India Policy, the New Delhi government might be considering this border killing trial as a measure to help repair the fractured reflection of the AL regime.
For India has been unkind to Bangladesh on many counts. Even the so-called friendly parties (AL in Bangladesh and Congress in India) in power could do little to bring about respectable solutions to the problems faced by Bangladesh. Teesta issue and land boundary agreement are major concerns. Many smaller ones remain.
Compensating the family of the victim killed by the BSF and trial of Felani could be some sort of an eye-wash shot. However, how far this will run to pacify the people is another matter.
If India thinks that these two acts would be immense favour from her and counted as achievement on the part of the present government or the people of Bangladesh – they are wrong. India’s Bangladesh policy needs serious revision, pragmatic thinking and a dignified approach.
The writer is a freelancer. His contact: malisattar@hotmail.com
Source: Weekly Holiday
