Aniket Shariar, Freelance Contributor : Bangladesh with its neighbouring country India shares a 4,096 kilometer border. Killing along the border takes place nearly hundreds of times each year. Attempting to cross into India from Bangladesh illegally mostly for trade purpose. Killing Bangladeshi national has been a crucial bilateral issue.
936 Bangladeshis were killed between 2001 and 2017, by the BSF and Indian national as well in accordance with BGB figures. BSF alone killed 767 Bangladeshis amongst them.
Since the Awami League came to power in 2009, 67 Bangladeshis were killed along the border while the figure was 60 in 2010, 39 in 2011, 34 in 2012, 28 in 2013, 40 in 2014, 45 in 2015, 31 in 2016 and 21 until December 21 last year in 2017, Border guard Bangladesh BGB reports.
As Bangladesh shares most of its border with India BGB members act upholding good relations with the Border Security Force, BSF. This stance, BGB expects has contributed to curbing border killing. But a numerous act of killing over the years, even decades, manifest the contrast between the fact and belief.
Bangladesh shares its border with Myanmar too. Three countries altogether located in the south and East corner of Asia.
A number of disputed issues, conflicts among three neighbouring countries has been prevailing while the deaths along the Bangladesh –India border appears to be mostly focused and alarming issue as human rights activists and concerned quarters of the society watch and perceive.
From January to June this year in 2018, approximately 03 Bangladeshi citizen were killed, 05 injured, and 22 arrested by BSF while 18 incidents took place, shows Human Rights Support Society, HRSS. The report further reveals that that BSF members are involved in the frequent killing, torturing, abducting, and beating the people for trivial reasons.
‘A single killing by US law enforcement along the Mexican border makes headlines. The killing of large numbers of villagers by Indian forces has been almost entirely ignored,’ wrote Brad Adams, Executive Director of the Asia Department of Human Right Watch.
Brad Adams further point out it as shocking incidences because some Indian officials endorse shooting people who took effort to cross the border illegally when they are unarmed. Is it then an unending shoot-do-death policy while resolving and mitigating the bilateral issues is more important?
But persisting incidences, force on to recall Brad Adam’s voice – do good fences make good neighbours?
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