BSF kills Bangladeshi at Patgram border day after expressing regret

A Bangladeshi citizen, Ali Hossain (49), has been killed in firing by the Indian  Border Security Force (BSF) at the Dhabalguri border in Patgram of Lalmonirhat.

Just a day earlier, the BSF had expressed regret over the shooting and injuring of another Bangladeshi youth, Mizan, at the same border.

A press release from the Lalmonirhat Teesta Battalion (61 BGB) stated that Ali Hossain’s body is currently at a hospital in India.

According to BGB sources, Ali Hossain was the son of the late Abdul Gafur of Dhabalguri village in Patgram, Lalmonirhat.

The BGB statement said that early on Wednesday, gunshots were heard from about 500 yards inside India, near the zero line adjacent to border pillar 874/5-S in the Satgram camp area.

One shot was fired at 2:50 am on Tuesday night and another at 4:50 am. Later, around 6:35 am, battalion commanders of both countries spoke over the phone.

According to the account provided by the BSF, seven to eight Bangladeshi nationals attempted to cut the barbed-wire fence along the Indian border, prompting BSF members to first fire warning shots.

At one point, a scuffle and physical altercation occurred between the alleged smugglers and BSF personnel. During this, Bangladeshi citizen Ali Hossain was shot at the scene. BSF members later took the body into their custody and sent it to a local Indian hospital.

Lieutenant Colonel Syed Fazle Munim, commander of the Lalmonirhat Teesta Battalion (61 BGB), told Prothom Alo that verification and information-gathering regarding the incident are ongoing. Arrangements are being made for a flag meeting at the battalion and sector commander levels between BGB and BSF.

In response to a question, the BGB commander said, “Last Monday, following the incident in which Bangladeshi youth Mizan was injured by BSF firing at the Dhabalsuti border in Patgram, the BSF expressed regret and assured that necessary action would be taken according to their rules, which was widely reported in Bangladeshi media based on our press release. But after that, Bangladeshi citizen Ali Hossain was killed in BSF firing at the Patgram border. The incident is unfortunate."

The BGB official also said, "It would have been better if he had been detained without being shot and then dealt with according to the law. Bangladesh will raise the issue at the flag meeting. We want alternatives to firing at the border—we want peaceful coexistence. At the same time, we urge citizens of both countries to abide by border laws.”