Govt urges India to stop border killings, punish responsible ones

The interim government has formally requested India to stop recurrence of killings along the border, investigate all the previous cases, and punish the responsible ones. 

The foreign ministry made the request in an official letter that it lodged at the Indian high commission in Dhaka on Wednesday, to protest the recent killing of a Bangladeshi citizen along the Cumilla border. 

In a press release in the evening, the ministry said a Bangladeshi citizen – Kamal Hossain from Cumilla – was gunned down by the Indian border security force (BSF) on 7 October. The Bangladesh government extended its protest to the Indian government regarding the death. 

Kamal Hossain was shot by the BSF along the Paharpur border of Golyara Dakshin union in Cumilla Sadar Dakshin upazila. 

In its letter, the foreign ministry expressed its concerns over the repeated incidents of killing by the BSF, despite continuous assurances from Indian authorities to reduce border killings to zero. 

The Bangladesh government emphasised that such incidents are undesirable, unwarranted, and a violation of the Bangladesh-India joint guidelines-1975. Hence, it urged the Indian government to stop recurrence of such abominable activities, launch investigations into all border killings, and bring the responsible ones to justice.