Another death on the border
A fresh fatal shooting along the Bangladesh-India frontier has renewed concerns over the use of lethal force at the border, after a Bangladeshi man was killed in firing by India’s Border Security Force (BSF) in Kulaura, Moulvibazar, on Sunday.
The deceased was identified as Tara Mia, son of Abdul Malek of Murai Chhara Basti in Kulaura upazila.
The incident comes despite repeated commitments by Dhaka
and New Delhi to bring border killings down to zero and underscores the persistent difficulties in managing a frontier affected by illegal crossings, smuggling and other forms of unauthorised movement.
According to local residents, four to five Bangladeshi nationals allegedly crossed into Indian territory in the early hours through the Alinagar border area of Prithimpasha union.
The group reportedly entered around 500 yards beyond border pillar 1845/63-S in Maguruli with the assistance of Indian smugglers to collect contraband goods.
Residents said BSF personnel opened fire following a confrontation, killing Tara Mia at the scene.
The circumstances surrounding the shooting have not yet been independently established.
Lt Col Sarkar Asif Mahmud, commanding officer of Border Guard Bangladesh’s (BGB) 46 Battalion in Sreemangal, said the BGB was taking necessary steps to gather further information about the incident.
Recurring fatal incidents
Tara Mia’s death follows several other fatal incidents along the frontier in recent months.
On 8 May, two Bangladeshis, including a college student, were killed in BSF firing in Kasba, Brahmanbaria.
On 14 May, another Bangladeshi, 25-year-old Khademul Haque, was shot dead near the Amjhol border in Lalmonirhat.
The incidents followed a series of other deaths and injuries in border areas, prompting renewed concern in Dhaka over the continued use of lethal force.
At least 34 Bangladeshis were reportedly killed by the BSF in 2025, including 24 in shootings and 10 following alleged physical torture. The reported figures stood at 30 in 2024, 31 in 2023, 23 in 2022 and 18 in 2021.
The continuing incidents have remained particularly sensitive because Bangladesh and India have repeatedly agreed that their shared frontier should be managed with restraint and that border killings should be brought to an end.
At a director general-level meeting between the BGB and BSF in New Delhi in February 2025, the two sides agreed to take effective measures to reduce killings of Bangladeshi nationals along the border to zero.
They also agreed to conduct joint inspections over construction within 150 yards of the international boundary.
At another DG-level meeting later in the year, the two border forces again agreed to work to prevent killings, smuggling and illegal intrusion and reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining peace and stability along the frontier.
Persistent border-management challenges
Despite these agreements, reducing fatal incidents has proved difficult because of the complex nature of border management.
Illegal crossings, cattle and other forms of smuggling, informal cross-border movement, fencing disputes and the activities of criminal networks continue to create friction between the two countries.
The Joint India-Bangladesh Guidelines for Border Authorities, introduced in 1975, identified unauthorised movement, inadvertent crossings, smuggling, disputes over land and cattle and the hot pursuit of criminals as among the principal sources of tension between the two border forces.
India has maintained that the BSF follows a policy of using non-lethal weapons and resorts to firing only in self-defence or when its personnel come under attack.
At a previous India-Bangladesh border coordination meeting, the Indian side said the non-lethal weapons policy was being strictly followed.
For Bangladesh, however, the continued loss of lives has raised questions over the implementation of those commitments.
Dhaka has repeatedly raised the issue at BGB-BSF meetings and called for an end to push-ins and other practices it considers violations of human rights and bilateral understandings.
Border deaths amid wider tensions
The latest shooting comes at a sensitive time for Bangladesh-India relations, which are already strained over the unresolved issue of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who has remained in India since leaving Bangladesh in August 2024.
Tensions intensified after Hasina addressed journalists in New Delhi on 5 August, two years after her removal from power.
Dhaka strongly objected to the event and reiterated its demand for Hasina’s return to Bangladesh to face legal proceedings.
India has said its government neither organised nor facilitated the event and has maintained that its position on the extradition issue remains unchanged.
The dispute over Hasina has added to existing sensitivities in bilateral ties, even as Dhaka and New Delhi continue cooperation in diplomatic, economic, security and border-management areas.
Tara Mia’s death has once again highlighted the gap between repeated pledges by the two countries to ensure a peaceful and secure frontier and the continuing occurrence of lethal incidents along their shared border.
