Diplomatic Correspondent :
At least two Bangladeshis were killed in separate incidents in Lalmonirhat’s Patgram and Moulvibazar’s Kulaura, once again reigniting concerns over the use of lethal force by India’s Border Security Force.
Despite repeated assurances from Delhi that Bangladesh and India are not in a state of conflict, fatal shootings along the border continue.
In Patgram, 30-year-old Sabuj Mia was shot dead early Wednesday at the Pochakota border point under Jagatber Union.
The incident took place around 3.30 am inside Indian territory between pillars 864 and 865.
According to local sources, Sabuj and several others had entered the zero line area, reportedly to bring cattle, when a BSF patrol from West Bengal’s 156 Chenakata camp opened fire. Sabuj died on the spot. The BSF later took his body.
Lt Col Mujahid Masum, commanding officer of BGB’s 61 Battalion, said they learned through various channels that Sabuj’s body had been sent to a hospital in Cooch Behar for post-mortem.
He confirmed that Bangladesh had lodged a protest and called for a flag meeting with BSF counterparts.
Later the same day, another fatal shooting occurred on the Muraichhara border in Kulaura.
A 25-year-old Sukhiram Urang, a resident of the Muraichhara Bosti area, was herding cattle around 1.30 pm near pillars 1844 and 1845 when BSF personnel opened fire.
He was hit in the back and collapsed. Locals rushed him towards Kulaura Upazila Health Complex, but he died on the way.
Police recovered his body and sent it to the 250-bed Moulvibazar Hospital morgue for autopsy. Officer-in-Charge of Kulaura Police Station Omar Faruk said initial evidence indicates he died from gunshot wounds.
BGB’s 46 Battalion, which oversees the Muraichhara border, said they were collecting further details, adding that the shooting may have occurred after he crossed the zero line.
The incidents have renewed scrutiny of India’s border force and Bangladesh’s ability to prevent such killings through diplomatic channels.
Speaking at a DCAB event at the National Press Club on November 30, the foreign affairs adviser to the interim government Md Touhid Hossain expressed deep frustration, noting that the Bangladesh-India border is the only one in the world where there is no war, yet people are routinely killed.
He criticised the practice of using lethal force instead of arrest and due legal process.
“If a crime is committed, the accused must be taken to court. A man with a gun cannot be the accuser, judge, and executioner,” he said.
“We condemn it, we protest it, and we will continue to do so. If there is any solution beyond this, tell me – I will try,” he said.
The killings add to a long-standing pattern of border fatalities that Bangladesh has repeatedly raised with India, but for now, the cycle shows little sign of slowing.
On Wednesday, the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) staged a protest against the ongoing killings of Bangladeshi citizens by the BSF in the border regions.
In a statement signed by DUCSU General Secretary SM Farhad, the union leaders condemned these killings and called for diplomatic and legal actions to address the issue.
The statement referred to a tragic incident that occurred on the night of Sunday, November 30, when two Bangladeshi youths, Ibrahim Rinku (28) and Momin Mia (29), were brutally beaten to death by BSF personnel in the border area of Shibganj upazila, Chapainawabganj.
Their hands and feet were tied, and their bodies were dumped into the Padma River.
DUCSU expressed strong condemnation and protest against the ongoing killings of Bangladeshi citizens along the border.
The statement noted that since the country’s independence, the BSF has repeatedly violated international law by shooting and killing Bangladeshis in the border area.
It referenced past incidents, such as the heart-wrenching image of the body of teenager Felani hanging from a barbed wire, and the brutal killing of Swarna Das, which had shocked the global community.
Despite such incidents, the attitude of the BSF remains unchanged, the statement said.
It also highlighted that despite repeated promises by India, the killings at the border have not stopped.
According to human rights organisations and media reports, between 2009 and December 2025, around 653 Bangladeshis have been killed, and thousands more have been injured due to BSF firing and torture.
Shockingly, no investigations or trials have been conducted into these deaths.
The statement further raised concerns over the illegal pushbacks of people from India into Bangladesh, which it sees as a threat to the sovereignty of Bangladesh.
In 2025 alone, around 2,000 individuals, including Rohingya refugees and Indian citizens, have been illegally pushed into Bangladesh.
Additionally, incidents involving explosions, drone activity, and firing have also occurred in the border areas, further escalating tensions.
DUCSU has demanded immediate action to stop these human rights violations and ensure justice for the victims.
