BANGLADESHI nationals on border with India remained totally unprotected from attacks of Indian Border Security Force (BSF) and rogue elements claiming frequent casualties. News reports on Thursday said at least two Bangladeshi villagers and a member of BSF were injured on the previous day at Satkhira border. It happened when a BSF team intruded into Bangladesh early in the morning causing panic to the local residents. They claimed they were chasing four smugglers but locals were caught unguarded prompting them to build resistance against the Indian border security forces. They in turn opened fire on the mob in which one villager sustained bullet injury in his abdomen. One BSF man was also hurt in the scuffle until they withdrew. In another surprise attack a Khasia tribe man shot dead a Bangladeshi youth at Lalkhal border in Sylhet district early in the morning when the young man went to the paddy field to see the crop down the Indian hill. The early morning attacks left the locals totally devastated.
What appears quite shocking time and again is that the Indian Security Forces carry out incursions on Bangladeshi nationals almost whimsically without provocation. Bangladesh border has already earned the notoriety as a South Asian killing field and statistics showed at least 1000 Bangladeshi nationals were killed in shoot outs from across the border over the past years. The number of injured stands much larger and such casualties are going with impunity from the Indian side.
Bangladesh has always protested such killings and unprovoked intrusions. The matter routinely comes up for discussion at BGB-BSF annual meetings. The Home Secretaries of both countries also discussed it in their recent meeting in Dhaka and the India side assured that such incidents would drastically come down while Bangladesh should work on creating more awareness of border sensitivities among the locals. But in reality there is no change in the ground giving the impression that the Indian forces are rather terrorizing Bangladeshi nationals regularly surely with orders from their senior commanders. It is highly regrettable and not conducive to keep peace in the border and give protection to our people.
What is more surprising is that despite the Awami League government is having an excellent political relations and joint security arrangements with India, why the killings and intrusions on borders are not coming to an end. The government must bring pressure on India to end it. We hope the excellent relation should not be one-way traffic and India must prove its honest neighbourly attitude towards Bangladesh.
