Bangladesh protests killing of 13-year-old by Indian border forces

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - ​​​​​​​Bangladesh's transitional government lodged a formal protest with India on Thursday following the fatal shooting of a 13-year-old Bangladeshi girl by Indian Border Security Force (BSF) along the northeastern Moulvibazar border.

The girl, Shwarna Das, a resident of Juri town in Moulvibazar district, was shot on September 1 while attempting to cross the border into India with relatives. BSF handed over her body to Bangladeshi authorities about 45 hours after the incident.

This marks the first formal protest by the transitional government led by Muhammad Yunus, following the resignation and departure of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who had maintained close ties with India, on August 5.

In its protest note to the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the killing, expressing deep concern over the "ruthless act." The ministry emphasized that such incidents violate the provisions of the 1975 Joint Indo-Bangladesh Guidelines for Border Authorities and called on India to prevent future occurrences.

"Border killings are undesirable and unwarranted," the ministry stated, urging India to investigate all such incidents, hold responsible individuals accountable, and ensure justice.

According to Ain-o-Salish Kendra, a local human rights organization, at least 13 Bangladeshis were killed and 11 injured by BSF between January and June of this year. Another group, Odhikar, reports that between 2000 and 2020, 1,236 Bangladeshis were killed and 1,145 injured in BSF-related shootings along the border.

The two nations share a 4,096-kilometer (2,545-mile) border, one of the longest land borders in the world.