Border killings

THE latest round of biannual talks between Bangladesh and India has just concluded in Dhaka. And we are rather surprised that the DG BSF actually defended the past killings of Bangladeshis at the border by his men. He claimed that the killings were “necessitated” because the lives of his troops were under threat, and that they would have been killed had they not open fired.

Despite repeated assurances from India to bring down the number of border killing to zero, as many as 26 unarmed innocent Bangladesh civilians have died at the hands of BSF this year alone, according to a human rights body.  Although the figure is lower than that of previous years, but even 26 killed, we feel, is 26 too many. Border killings are unwarranted, especially between friendly neighbours, and it should be brought down to zero.  

The DG BSF's comment defies logic when we consider that most of those killed had no lethal weapons on their bodies, and a majority of them were innocent cattle-grazers. And we wonder if all the instances of firing were as a last resort. The Bangladesh Guideline for Border Authorities 1975 stipulates the duties of the border forces as authorised to arrest criminals and hand them over to the other side; this consideration and tolerance must be displayed in the actions of the border forces.

Given that we are very close neighbours with a long shared history, border and trade interests, a more humane and sensitive approach is needed towards managing, what is, indeed, a very unique border.