Bangladesh Home Minister terms border killings by BSF a ‘human rights violation’

Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Wednesday, June 17, described alleged killings of Bangladeshi nationals by India's Border Security Force (BSF) along the border as a "clear violation of human rights" and said the issue had been raised during recent talks between border guarding forces of the two countries.

Addressing Parliament, Ahmed said Bangladesh had consistently protested the use of lethal force by the BSF and reiterated Dhaka's objections to border killings.

"The killing of innocent Bangladeshi nationals by the BSF is extremely regrettable and constitutes a clear violation of human rights," he said.

The minister said the matter was discussed during the recently concluded Director General-level talks between the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and the BSF in New Delhi.

Ahmed alleged that incidents involving the deaths of Bangladeshi nationals continued despite assurances from the BSF to avoid the use of lethal weapons and instead employ non-lethal measures in managing border situations.

India has maintained that shootings along the border occur in self-defence and are often linked to cross-border crimes such as smuggling, illegal entry and trafficking.

The minister also criticised what he described as India's ongoing "push-in" operations along the border. According to Ahmed, the BGB had prevented 36 such attempts by the BSF since the West Bengal Assembly elections.

He further claimed that of the 2,369 people allegedly pushed into Bangladesh by Indian authorities since August 5, 2024, 2,175 were handed over to police stations, 11 were returned to the BSF and 183 were pushed back.

Despite the differences, Ahmed said cooperation between the BGB and BSF had been strengthened to reduce border-related deaths and curb cross-border crimes. He noted that joint night patrols had been intensified in vulnerable areas and that local-level flag meetings were regularly held to prevent escalation following any incident along the frontier.

The minister's remarks came two days after Bangladesh's Foreign Ministry summoned India's Deputy High Commissioner in Dhaka and conveyed its concerns over an incident involving Prime Minister's adviser for strategy and information, Zahed Ur Rahman, at New Delhi airport.

India and Bangladesh share a 4,096-km-long international border, one of the longest land borders in the world.