A Bangladeshi fisherman was injured in firing by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) along the Polladanga border region in Chapainawabganj's Bholahat upazila. The injured is Jahangir Alam, 24, a resident of Kolonipara village of Gohalbari union. According to locals, Jahangir was fishing on a boat in the Mahananda River along the Polladanga border region at around 4:30 am on Saturday (February 17, 2024). At that time, BSF fired at him, and his right hand was shot. BSF detains 23 Bangladeshis along Chhagalnaiya border in Feni The locals then rescued him and rushed him to the Upazila health complex. Dr Delwar Hossain, duty medical officer of Bholahat Upazila Health Complex, said Jahangir was brought to the hospital with a bullet injury to his right elbow. Later, he was referred to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital for better treatment. BSF regrets recent border killing, says Foreign Ministry Lt Col Golam Kibria, commanding officer of the BGB-59 battalion in Chapainawabganj, said members of the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) opened fire on Jahangir when he went near the Indian territory while he was fishing. He also said the BGB has sent a protest letter to the BSF in this regard. Body of Bangladeshi killed by BSF returned through Lalmonirhat border

Yesterday (January 7, 2023) marked the 12th death anniversary of Felani Khatun, whose killing stood out among the at least 1236 Bangladeshis who lost their lives at the hands of the Indian Border Security Force between 2000-2020 (Odhikar).  On January 7, 2011, fifteen-year-old Felani Khatun was gunned down by the BSF when she, along with her father, was returning home from India through Anantapur border along Phulbari upazila of Kurigram. Felani and her father were not cattle smugglers, the usual victims of India’s trigger happy border guards (although opening fire unless they pose a threat is also illegal under Indian law). In fact, she used to work as a domestic help in New Delhi. The little girl was obviously unarmed and represented no threat. The image that went viral of her body stuck on the barb-wire border fence, shot in the act of climbing past it, disturbed the conscience of people on both sides of the fence. Read more: 11 years of Felani Killing: wait for justice gets longer A case filed against the BSF in an Indian court with the cooperation of Indian human rights activists remains pending in the Indian High Court. Twelve years on, a sense of despondency has gripped the parents of Felani in their search for justice.  Though the judicial proceedings in the case have been delayed due to Covid-19, they still expressed their hope to stop the border killings through the establishment of justice. Felani's death triggered a huge global outcry as the photo of her body hanging upside down went viral. The BSF men handed over the body a day after her killing. Following the outcry on both sides of the border, BSF started an internal investigation into the incident and submitted a chargesheet against its constable Amiya Ghosh, who fired the fatal shot. It was the first such instance for a killing in the Bangladesh portion of India’s massive border. Read more: Border killing: Photo exhibition held on Felani’s home premises However, a special court constituted by the BSF acquitted Amiya Ghosh of the charge in August 2013. Later, in the wake of widespread criticism of the acquittal, BSF decided to revive the murder trial. Yet another judicial court upheld the previous verdict and acquitted Amiya Ghosh again in July 2015. Following this, Felani's father Nurul Islam with the help of the Indian human rights organisation Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (Masum) filed a writ petition with the Supreme Court of India. The Supreme Court bench, headed by the country’s chief justice, show-caused several Indian bodies including the Home Ministry, in this regard. Read more: Justice eludes Felani’s family Talking to UNB, Felani’s father, Nurul Islam, said, “My daughter was killed by the BSF member in front of my eyes while crossing the border but I did not get justice in the last 12 years. The date of the trial proceedings was deferred several times. Now, I demand capital punishment for Amiya Ghosh and I hope the governments of the two countries reach an agreement to revive the judicial process and complete it." Jahanara Begum, mother of Felani, said, "I was in India when my daughter was killed. My soul will not rest until justice is done for my daughter's murder."  After twelve years, the family is in need of closure, and although the border killings have dropped significantly, the stated objective of both sides to bring them down to zero is still some way off. Looking at the number killed each year since the turn of the century, it is tempting to suggest that the Felani killing’s aftermath had some restraining effect on BSF jawans freely exercising a shoot-to-kill policy along the 4096-kilometre border with Bangladesh that is conspicuously absent from the standard operating procedure followed for its other international borders with various other countries.  Read More: Border killings not expected: Shahriar Alam Bangladeshi deaths in BSF firing peaked at 155 in 2006, and remained above one hundred in 2007. Triple figures were nearly breached once again in 2009 (98), and fell to a still very high 74 in 2010. Then right at the start of 2011, Felani was killed. There would be just 30 more such deaths that year.  Although the 50 mark would be crossed again for the first time in ten years in 2020, they have been pulled back again. Although their final figure isn’t in yet, watchdog Ain o Salish Kendra counted ‘at least 16 deaths’ in 2022.  SM Abraham Lincoln, public prosecutor of Kurigram district who has stood by the family through the entire period, said despite the showcause notices, no hearings have been held as yet on the writ petition by a bench of the Indian Supreme Court. "Even if it is delayed, the friendly relations and peaceful borders between the two countries will be established through justice," he hoped. Read More: BGB, BSF agree to cut border killings.

The body of a 28-year old Bangladeshi man, allegedly shot dead by Indian Border Security Force(BSF),  was found at the Indian side of Patgram border in Lalmonirhat on Thursday. The deceased was identified by family as Sahadat Hossain, a cattle trader and son of Idris Ali from Auliarhat village at patgram upazila.  Read more: Cattle trader tortured to death in Lalmonirhat, BSF blamed His family and some locals claimed he was shot dead by BSF members when he entered to the border area to bring cows with some traders.  Lieutenant Colonel Towhidul Islam, Commander of Lalmonirhat BGB battalion 15, said the Bangladeshi man was found lying 120 gauge inside the Indian border and said BSF has been asked about it officially.  Read more: 2 Bangladeshis shot dead in BSF firing along Lalmonirhat border, locals say Sahadat’s father Idris Ali said ,” My son was shot dead by BSF. I have seen picture of his body with bullet wounds.”

Indian Border Security Force (BSF) on Monday handed over the body of the Bangladeshi teenager who was shot dead by its members on Wednesday while the Bangladeshi prime minister was visiting India. A team of Kotwali Police Station with the help of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members received the body of the teenager around 4:30 pm and handed it over to his family, said Tanvirul Islam, in-charge of Kotwali Police Station. Earlier in the day, the BSF members from Raiganj sector, agreed to return the body around 4 pm after holding a flag meeting with the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) -29, held in the morning at Pillar no. 314/4 S of Dinajpur frontier. Also read: Bangladeshi teen shot dead at Dinajpur border, BSF claims “self defence” Bangladeshi teenager Minhazul Islam Minar, 17, son of Jahangir Hossain of Askorpurup union was shot dead and another injured by Indian Border Security Force (BSF), near the border in Sadar upazila of Dinajpur, authorities said on Thursday. Local people found the bullet-hit body in Haripur Teliapara area of the border, said Khanpur Union Parishad Chairman Abu Bakar Siddique. Minar was a class IX student of Khanpur High School. Minara Begum, mother of Minar lodged a complaint against five people with Kotwali Police. Also read: BSF to hand over body of Bangladeshi teenager after 5 days “Legal steps will be taken against those involved in the killing after recording a case,” said OC.

Indian Border Security Force (BSF) on Monday afternoon will hand over the body of the Bangladeshi teenager who was shot dead by its members on Wednesday after five days of the killing. The BSF members agreed to return the body around 4 pm after holding a flag meeting with the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) -29, held in the morning at no 314/4 S Pillar of Dainur frontier. Bangladeshi teenager  Minhazul Islam Minar, 17, son of Jahangir Hossain of Askorpurup union was shot dead and another injured by Indian Border Security Force (BSF), near the border in Sadar upazila of Dinajpur, authorities said on Thursday. Read: BGB-BSF DG-level border conference begins in Dhaka Local people found the bullet-hit body in  Haripur Teliapara area of the border this morning, said Khanpur Union Parishad Chairman Abu Bakar Siddique.  

Criticizing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her remarks on the demolition of around 300 houses under the Ashrayan-2 Project, the BNP standing committee alleged that now “corruption is backed by the state”. The Prime Minister’s remark on having the list of those who damaged the houses of gift is tantamount to backing the corruption of Awami League-backed contractors and partisan bureaucrats in the construction of houses under the Ashrayan-2 Project, BNP said. At their weekly virtual meeting on Saturday, the BNP policymakers also said the Awami League government is giving corruption an “institutional shape” in all spheres of the state. Read: BNP criticizes PM for her Ashrayan house remarks “The meeting sharply criticised the Prime Minister's remarks (on the Ashrayan hoses),” said a press release on Sunday. On Thursday, the Prime Minister alleged that some people damaged the houses, given by her government to the homeless as a gift for Mujib Borsho, with hammers and shovels and the media published photos of those broken houses. Hasina said she has got the full details of the culprits, including their names and others, after an investigation. The BNP standing committee members also strongly protested and denounced the gunning down of a Bangladeshi citizen, Shahibar Rahman, by Indian Border Security Force along the Dantbhanga border in Kurigram's Roumari upazila on September 4. They alleged that it has never been possible to take effective action against all these killings due to the government’s "knee-jerk’’ foreign policy. Read: BNP calls for simultaneous anti-govt movement In no country in the civilized world, people are shot dead in this way along the border. It’s against international law, they observed. The BNP standing committee meeting urged the government to take effective measures to force the Indian authorities to refrain from such heinous killings. It also condemned the statement of State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Dr Md Murad Hasan on removing the museum named after Ziaur Rahman at the old circuit house in Chattogram. “People will never accept such a decision.” The meeting protested the recent arrest of opposition leaders and activists and demanded their immediate release after withdrawing all false cases filed against them.

A photo exhibition protesting against border killings by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) was held on the premises of Felani Khatun’s home in Kurigram’s Nageshwari on Thursday.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members seized gold, arms, dollars, and drugs worth Tk 120 crore and arrested 378 persons involved in smuggling and trafficking along the border areas of Jashore's Benapole in 2020.

A 4-day Director General (DG)- level Border conference between  Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB)and Indian Border Security Force (BSF) has begun in Guwahati, the capital city of Indian State Assam.

BNP needs to compare the number of border killings during the party’s rule with the current figure, which is much lower according to Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud.