Bangladeshi youth killed in BSF firing along Moulvibazar border

A Bangladeshi youth named Tara Mia was killed in firing by India's Border Security Force (BSF) along the Kulaura border in Moulvibazar. The incident took place on Saturday night at the Maguruli border in Prithimpasha union of Kulaura upazila.

Tara Mia, 20, was the son of Abdul Malek, a resident of the Muraichhara slum area in Karmadha union of the same upazila.

Earlier this year, on 12 June, another Bangladeshi youth, Mujib Ali, 20, was killed in BSF firing along the border in Dattagram village of Sharifpur union in the upazila. The BSF later handed over his body to his family.

The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) subsequently sent a letter of protest to the BSF over the incident.

According to information provided by the BGB's 46 Battalion, at around 3:30 am on Sunday, four to five Bangladeshi smugglers illegally crossed the Maguruli border and entered about 500 yards inside India.

A patrol team from the BSF's 199 Battalion Maguruli camp opened fire, killing Tara Mia on the spot. His associates meanwhile fled back to Bangladesh.

The Maguruli border falls under the jurisdiction of the BGB's 46 Battalion. Lieutenant Colonel Sarker Asif Mahmud, commander of the battalion based in Sreemangal, told Prothom Alo by phone on Sunday morning that Tara Mia had been involved in smuggling.

His relatives had also acknowledged this, he said. The BSF took Tara Mia's body and will hand it over to his family after completing the legal process, the BGB official said.

He added that a case had been filed against Tara Mia with Kulaura police station over allegations of involvement in smuggling.