BSF Must Stop Killings, Handle Trespassers Patiently: B'desh Home Minister After Duo's Death in Bengal

India’s Border Security Force (BSF) must stop killing trespassers and handle the situation “patiently”, Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said while speaking to News18.com on Friday, hours after two Bangladeshi men were killed near the border in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar.

The men, suspected to be cattle smugglers, were killed when the BSF tried to thwart their attempt to enter Indian territory, the border guarding force said in a statement. It added that the troops resorted to non-lethal munition but the duo allegedly attacked the soldiers with iron dha (a type of knife) and sticks. “Sensing imminent threat to life, BSF party fired in air towards miscreants. Later on search, dead bodies of two unknown miscreants were found between border fence and international boundary,” the BSF statement said.

Terming the incident as “unfortunate”, Asaduzzaman Khan said forces must explore non-lethal options at the border. “People from Bangladesh cross to the other side of the boundary and people from India also cross to our side despite our attempts to prevent it. We live and breathe under the same open sky… but there are some protocols that need to be maintained. The firing incident at the bordering area in Cooch Behar is extremely unfortunate. I think one must handle such situations patiently instead of using lethal weapons. They should think before firing,” Khan told News18.com over phone from Dhaka.

“We share a magical relationship with India. All I would like to highlight is to stop border killings of Bangladeshis at the border. I hope that such incidents will not happen at the border in future. I think the time has come to think about using non-lethal weapons at the border areas to prevent such killings,” he added.

Asked if he will raise the issue with India, Khan said he had sought a report from Bangladeshi agencies. “Let me go through the report. Only then will I make any further comments in this matter.”

Tensions at the India-Bangladesh border have been fermenting since last year with frequent intrusions intercepted by the BSF. In a shocking incident in October last year, a BSF jawan was shot dead and another injured after a soldier from the Border Guards Bangladesh opened fire following a flag meeting over the detention of an Indian fisherman.

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