Bangladesh has survived last 41 years without india and marching ahead even with indian obstacles. So your thoughts may help you sleep at night but it is far from reality. Also, it was india invited KZ in desperation, KZ did not seek out invitation. India given its Awami stooge project failing miserably, is desperately looking to get good side of BNP. Look how lucky you and other indians feel after just one dinner invite from KZ. Indians are with begging bowl out in the open. There is liitle indian spin can do to tell the story in reverse.
Strong Indian pledge needed to stop border killing: discussion
- Thread starter CaPtAiN_pLaNeT
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Bangladesh has survived last 41 years without india and marching ahead even with indian obstacles. So your thoughts may help you sleep at night but it is far from reality. Also, it was india invited KZ in desperation, KZ did not seek out invitation. India given its Awami stooge project failing miserably, is desperately looking to get good side of BNP. Look how lucky you and other indians feel after just one dinner invite from KZ. Indians are with begging bowl out in the open. There is liitle indian spin can do to tell the story in reverse.
Again sitting in US you dont know anything about BD. Even on sunday Khalida Zia organised dinner for Indian envoy in her residence. Also she regret her anti India stand in past. I request you to kindly write reality here.
Our recent gestures to bangladesh
Bangladesh welcomes India's one billion dollar aid
‘India ready to help Bangladesh in agriculture’
Black Widow
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I was just waiting this discussion to subside...
There are few fact few lies
Facts:
1. Smuggling is happeing..
2. Both side loosing revenue.
3. Both BSF and BDR is involved in smuggling. BSF tries to stop it (sometime may be under pressure) but BDR never try to look into this issue, BDR is happy with there cut, and promoting Smuggling.
4. There is no killing on border since last 8-9 years (except some individual cases).
5. Indian govt have ordered BSF not to use lethal weapon unless its nececary
Lie
1. Indian are trigger happy and love to kill BD .
2. There is no pole vaulters
3. Indians are violating border agreement.
4. India is troubling BD.
The propaganda is spread by Pakistan loving Rezakars who killed there own ppl in 60s and 70s. Other propandagists are Jamatis who funded by Wahabi ideologists, who get there funds from cradle of terrorism..
There are few fact few lies
Facts:
1. Smuggling is happeing..
2. Both side loosing revenue.
3. Both BSF and BDR is involved in smuggling. BSF tries to stop it (sometime may be under pressure) but BDR never try to look into this issue, BDR is happy with there cut, and promoting Smuggling.
4. There is no killing on border since last 8-9 years (except some individual cases).
5. Indian govt have ordered BSF not to use lethal weapon unless its nececary
Lie
1. Indian are trigger happy and love to kill BD .
2. There is no pole vaulters
3. Indians are violating border agreement.
4. India is troubling BD.
The propaganda is spread by Pakistan loving Rezakars who killed there own ppl in 60s and 70s. Other propandagists are Jamatis who funded by Wahabi ideologists, who get there funds from cradle of terrorism..
MandarK
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When it comes to trade we do take into account both exports and imports.
When we talk about trade with BD it includes export to BD as well which is much higher than import from BD.
Yeah...I hear a lot of this base year. The reason why BD is not updating it because it will further downgrade the size of already small BD economy.
Regarding last line: We built the fence to stop illegal trade not you. Shows which country is much concerned about illegal trade.
When it comes to trade we do take into account both exports and imports.
When we talk about trade with BD it includes export to BD as well which is much higher than import from BD.
Yeah...I hear a lot of this base year. The reason why BD is not updating it because it will further downgrade the size of already small BD economy.
Regarding last line: We built the fence to stop illegal trade not you. Shows which country is much concerned about illegal trade.
When it comes to trade we do take into account both exports and imports.
When we talk about trade with BD it includes export to BD as well which is much higher than import from BD.
Yeah...I hear a lot of this base year. The reason why BD is not updating it because it will further downgrade the size of already small BD economy.
Regarding last line: We built the fence to stop illegal trade not you. Shows which country is much concerned about illegal trade.
hankau62
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I think
But I think you will never see the mistake of Bangladeshi but oly of Indian & BSF.
- Strong pledge is needed by Bangladeshi smuggler to pay the appropriate bribe to bsf. Consider it as a BSF tax to avoid killing. If you support illegal smuggling. Atleast this will take care of the fatalities by BSF.
- Stronger Pledge is needed by Bangladeshi Goverment to
- Find other source of buying live cows , from Australia perhaps, to satisfy the need
- Negotiate with Indian govt. to allow a legal alternative to import cows
- Strongest Pledge is needed by Bangladeshi people avoid eating blood-cow (like blood-diamond) that has caused the death for fellow Bangladeshi.
But I think you will never see the mistake of Bangladeshi but oly of Indian & BSF.
hankau62
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“Trigger Happy [BSF]”
Attacks on Indian Nationals [by BSF]
According to MASUM, hundreds of Indian nationals have been killed by the BSF inside Indian territory, including in West Bengal state where we conducted our investigations. These are some recent cases that were investigated by MASUM in collaboration with Human Rights Watch for this report. These cases provide evidence that the BSF, in addition to its attacks on Bangladeshi citizens, is responsible for grave human rights violations against Indian nationals. The cases also show that there is no accountability for these abuses.
Killing of Basirun Bibi and Baby Ashique
On May 4, 2010, Basirun Bibi and her six-month-old grandson were killed when the BSF opened fire at Dakshin Dhadial village in Coochbehar district. The BSF opened fire after an altercation with the villagers.
The violence occurred due to ongoing tension between villagers and BSF personnel because of the border fencing by Indian authorities. As already noted above, because the fence is several kilometers inside Indian territory, villagers often have to pass through to access their land. The BSF requires them to submit their identity cards at the border post if they want to approach the area beyond the fence, towards the border. The cards are restored once they cross back. This is to prevent illegal immigration by Bangladeshi nationals.
Early in the morning on the day Bibi and Ashique were killed, a villager named Salam Ali submitted his papers and signed his name in the BSF register before taking his cattle for grazing beyond the fence. But personnel belonging to the BSF’s 113th Battalion later asked him to return, saying that permission had been revoked. Salim Ali was joined by other villagers who all gathered to protest against the BSF’s restrictions. There was a scuffle. A BSF officer then ordered that his men open fire to contain the protesters in what appears to be disproportionate use of lethal force. Six persons were injured by bullets. Basirun Bibi was shot in the chest, while her grandson was shot in the head. Both were taken to the hospital along with others injured in the firing. Ashique was dead on arrival, while Basirun Bibi later died in hospital.[99]
Two cases of unnatural death were registered at the Tufanganj police station. A police complaint was also lodged against the BSF by Salam Ali. The BSF, in turn, have lodged a complaint of rioting against the villagers at the same police station. MASUM has filed a written complaint to the NHRC but as of this writing is yet to receive a response.[100]
Killing of Atiur Rahman
Atiur Rahman, a businessman of Puthiya (Jamtala) village, had gone to visit his aunt who lives close to the Indo-Bangladesh border on March 21, 2010. He was accompanied by his cousin, Rahabul Sheikh. They were returning at around 9 p.m. when they were stopped by two BSF soldiers, both from the E Company of the 105th Battalion. While Rahabul Sheikh managed to run away, Atiur Rahman was shot dead. Marks on his body suggested that he had been beaten before he was shot. The body was recovered near the Bangladesh border in Murshidabad district.[101]
That night, according to Atiur’s father, Mesher Ali: “We heard that someone had been shot. It was still before the call for morning prayers. We were worried, so I sent my other son to check… My son saw the body. It was his brother.”[102]
The BSF initially refused to let family members view the body. But later, when they were finally permitted, they saw that Atiur Rahman had been brutally tortured, his arms twisted and broken. His uncle Alauddin Biswas, who saw the body as the police removed it, said that Rahman must have been shot point-blank in his forehead, as he lay on the ground. The bullet had pierced his head and was recovered from where it was embedded below in the soil. He was also shot in the abdomen. Alauddin Biswas said:
I went to see the body. It was lying 5-6 kilometers away from our house. There were police and politicians. We all saw that the BSF had shot him while he was lying on his back. They had shot him in the forehead and the bullet had pierced through and was lying a few inches inside the ground. If he was running away, he would have been shot in the back. They just killed him… We have no idea why he was killed… We know about the curfew. People are not allowed to roam around after dark. But why did they have to kill him? They could have arrested him if they thought he was a smuggler.[103]
The Company Commander of the BSF’s 105th Battalion stated in his complaint to the police that, while on patrol:
Constable Sunil Kumar observed 10-15 smugglers along with about six cattle heads coming from the India side and going towards the Bangladesh side. He also saw a shadow of a smuggler nearby as such he physically apprehended him. The remaining smugglers tried to free the apprehended smuggler by attacking and encircling patrolling party and they managed to get him free. They also tried to snatch Constable Sunil Kumar’s weapons, however, they could not do so. The patrolling party challenged the smugglers to stop but the smugglers [sic] party threatened and encircled the patrolling party. During the course of fighting Constable Sunil Kumar sustained minor injuries on his right arm and left leg. The butt of his rifle suffered damage by the dah [scythe] of the smuggler. Sensing imminent danger to his own life and in self-defense of his life, Constable Sunil Kumar fired two rounds from his rifle…. Resultantly … Atiur Rehman … sustained bullet injuries on his forehead and back and died on the spot. There are no reports of casualties or injuries of other smugglers or any BSF personnel. On firing, the remaining smugglers along with the cattle heads ran towards Dihipara village in India ….[104]
Atiur Rahman’s father has lodged a murder complaint against the police, citing bullet injuries that show that his son was lying on his back on the ground when he was shot, and that there were injuries on the body resulting from the torture that was inflicted before he was killed. No investigation has followed.
Killing of Shahjahan Gazi
Eighteen-year-old Shahjahan Gazi, of 24 North Parganas district, was involved in smuggling. On November 10, 2009, he left his home, telling his family that he was going away to work. The next morning, he turned up, badly injured, at the home of Panchanan Sarkar, who lives at the edge of the border in Dobila.
Shahjahan told Sarkar that he was caught by BSF personnel at around 1:30 a.m. He said he was beaten mercilessly, and the soldiers probably left him thinking he was dead. But he regained consciousness and managed to drag himself to the nearest house. By that time, other villagers had gathered at Sarkar’s house and they arranged for a vehicle to take Shahjahan to the hospital. However, before they could leave, at around 11 a.m., some BSF personnel arrived and said that they would arrange for Shahjahan’s treatment and took him into custody.[105]
The villagers, meanwhile, informed Shahjahan’s family and they rushed to the district hospital in Basirhat. They found that the BSF had already reached the hospital at around 1:30 p.m. and that Shahjahan was dead when the BSF brought him in.
Since Shahjahan was alive when handed into BSF custody, the villagers went to the police station to file a murder complaint. The police lodged a First Information Report (FIR)[106] based on a complaint filed by Afsar Gazi, Shahjahan’s father. According to the FIR, the BSF—instead of heading to the hospital—took Shahjahan to the Dobila camp, where he was beaten to death.[107]
However, when MASUM contacted the Investigating Officer Kartik Chandra Mandal, a sub-inspector at the Swarupnagar police station, he said that he contacted the BSF, but could not verify the identity of the personnel who may have been responsible. He also admitted that he was helpless and could not take any action against the BSF.[108] At the inquest, it was revealed that the postmortem conducted by government doctors had found severe injuries on the victim’s arm and back.
Because Shahjahan was Muslim, MASUM also lodged a written complaint with the National Minorities Commission.[109] As of this writing, there has been no progress in this case.
Killing of Noor Hossain, a 17-year-old boy
Noor Hossain, 17, was killed on the banks of River Padma by BSF personnel on September 1, 2009. MASUM investigations revealed that the boy, a resident of Brahmaottar village in Murshidabad district, belonged to a very poor family and used to engage in cattle smuggling.[110]
Witnesses said that when they heard loud voices and shouting, they ran to the river. They saw that Noor Hossain was being beaten mercilessly by BSF personnel and lay groaning on the ground, pleading for his life.[111] But the BSF kept hitting him, and then fired two shots. Said his uncle Mustafa Sheikh:
We did not even know he had gone out. We thought he was sleeping…. At around 10:45 p.m. or so, I heard gun shots. I thought to myself, ‘They have gone and killed someone again.’ Around half an hour later, maybe around 11: 15 or so, there was a sound again. That is when they shot at it his body. After he had died, they shot him in the back… The bullet exited from the side, not through his body…. Then we heard people calling out…. They said that Noor Hossain had been killed. I ran, but the soldiers would not let us go near…. When finally the police arrived, they let us go near. I saw marks on him. He had been badly beaten.[112]
The next morning, the body was sent for autopsy. The BSF lodged a police complaint and submitted farming implements, sticks, and two cows that were recovered near the body. P. Bodhra, a Company Commander in the BSF’s 105th Battalion told the police that that Noor Hossain, a smuggler, had been killed by BSF personnel.[113]
On September 5, MASUM staff accompanied Noor Hossain’s father and brother, Jerman and Salim Sheikh, to the police station to lodge a complaint. Police officer Kanun Mondal read the report, but returned it to Salim Sheikh saying that he could not take any steps against the BSF. The Sheikhs waited for two hours until the Officer-in-Charge, Dulal Biswas, turned up at the police station. The complaint was handed to Dulal Biswas. He read the whole report and then rebuked Noor Hossain’s relatives, saying that the boy had been justifiably killed by the BSF when he was caught smuggling.[114]
Mustafa Sheikh told Human Rights Watch that the police have recommended the family stop pursuing the case. “They say, ‘Why do you bother? What will happen to the BSF? Nothing can happen to the BSF. The BSF will say that the 24 kilometer border area is under their control.’”[115]
MASUM repeatedly asked the police about their investigation into BSF excesses in this case, but to no avail. The group than sent a written complaint to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, but is yet to receive a response.[116]
Family members said that they have never been summoned to testify before a BSF court of inquiry, which indicates that no internal investigation was done to check if the soldiers had deliberately killed someone in their custody.
Killing of Shyamsundar Mondal
Shyamsundar Mondal was killed on August 22, 2009, in Murshidabad. The BSF claimed that its personnel based in the Rajanagar camp had shot and killed him in an encounter with smugglers at around 7 p.m. at Dadur Ghat, on the banks of the Padma River.
The family had lost their land due to erosion, and Shyamsundar Mondal, according to his family members, had apparently taken to cattle smuggling to earn a living. According to eyewitnesses who were with Mondal but did not wish to be identified, BSF personnel from the 191st Battalion caught the smugglers while they were taking the cows into Bangladesh and immediately opened fire without warning. One of the bullets struck Shyamsundar in the back, and he instantly fell down. His associates, believing him to be injured, first started dragging him along as they escaped. But later, realizing that he was dead, they left his body in a jute field and ran away.[117]
The police, along with family members, recovered the body on August 23, and it was taken for autopsy. The police registered a case of unnatural death. On the same day, S.R. Chowdhury, the Assistant Commandant of the BSF, filed a police complaint against 40 to 45 unknown smugglers and said that two rounds had been fired to stop them in their activities.[118] The BSF also handed over four buffaloes that had been seized during the operation.[119]
When Ramesh Chandra Mondal, the father of the victim, initially told the police that he wanted to lodge a complaint against the BSF for killing his son, the officer at the Raninagar police station said that it would be of little use, since Shyamsundar was killed while committing a crime. However, with the assistance of MASUM, Mondal did lodge a written complaint, saying that his son was shot without warning by BSF soldiers, citing the bullet injury which suggested that the victim was not in an attacking position when he was shot.[120] The police registered a criminal case, but as of this writing, there has been no investigation or arrest.[121]
MASUM sent a complaint to the NHRC, but is yet to receive a response.[122]
Killing of Sushanta Mondal, a 13-year-old boy
According to Panchanan Mondal, his 13-year-old son, Sushanta Mondal, was brutally killed by the BSF on July 13, 2009. Sushanta lived with his family in a village almost adjacent to the Bangladesh border in Murshidabad district. The village, called Borderpara, sits on the Padma river, and that day, Sushanta, along with his friends, Prosenjit and Pintu Mondal, went to swim in the river. Several other villagers were also there at the time, and they later informed Panchanan Mondal of his son’s death.
My son had gone to the river as usual along with his two friends. Some BSF personnel approached them on a speed boat and attacked the boys without any provocation. While the other boys managed to swim away, my son could not get away. The BSF men kept circling my son with their boat, and probably injured him with the propellers. I think they did it deliberately…. He eventually drowned. We tried to rescue his body, but in vain. However, his dead body emerged out of water on July 14, at around 12 a.m. I, along with other villagers, refused to hand over the body for post-mortem until the police lodged a complaint against the BSF personnel. [123]
After calming the protesting villagers, the police took the body and sent it for autopsy. However, despite promising to investigate the role of the BSF, the police took no action against them. “It was evident from the injuries on my son’s dead body that his death occurred due to injuries inflicted upon him by the BSF speed boats. Yet, no one is willing to bring those BSF personnel perpetrators to justice,” said Mondal. [124]
Killing of Abdus Samad
Saying that they suspected 35-year-old Abdus Samad of smuggling, several BSF personnel, led by Commander P. Vodra, forcibly entered his mud hut in the village of Biswanathpur in Murshidabad district on May 5, 2009. Abdus Samad did not live in the village, but worked as a day-laborer in Kolkata. However, he had come home after his wife delivered twin sons, to help take care of the family. Rimi Bewa, his wife, said that the BSF soldiers were harsh and abusive:
We were asleep when the BSF came at around 3 a.m. We have a broken door. We heard footsteps. They entered through the door. One of them kicked me and asked, ‘Where is your husband?’ They kicked me and used verbal abuses…. My husband woke up and immediately the BSF personnel started to beat him in front of our children with rifle *****, boots, and sticks. Then they tied his hands on his back and dragged him outside the house, still beating him… I was scared and ran after them pleading that they stop beating my husband, but they ignored me. Hearing me screaming, some neighbours came out of their house. They also asked those BSF personnel to stop. The men threatened them too with their guns. We saw him being dragged off. He was shouting. He was bleeding.[125]
Abdus Samad’s body was later found in the field and was taken to the BSF camp. Next morning, Rimi, accompanied by her husband’s brother Abdul Hakim and a village council leader, went to the police to complain about the assault, abduction, and killing of Abdus Samad. The police initially refused to register a complaint against the BSF and only complied when village leaders intervened. Later, the police informed the family that the BSF had registered a complaint with the police, claiming that he was arrested for trafficking heroin, and had died in custody because he had suffered a heart attack. [126]
The BSF apparently tried to persuade the local hospital authorities to support their claim of a heart attack. However, Dr. Goutam Ghosh, superintendent of the hospital told MASUM: “I had prepared myself to conduct the post-mortem but after observing few abnormalities, injuries on the body, I decided not to proceed with the post-mortem.” [127] He sent the body instead for autopsy by more senior doctors at the Behrampore New General Hospital.
Mr. P. Vodra, the BSF Commander, who according to eyewitnesses was present when Abdus Samad was detained, later told MASUM:
Abdus Samad was arrested with heroin near the Indo-Bangladesh border by constables Prahlad Roy and Ran Riyauddin. He was transferred to the Ramnagar BSF Camp as their camp didn’t have adequate facilities in which to detain a person. However, Samad became ill in custody as was duly treated at the Ramnagar camp and referred to Bhagabangola Hospital. I don’t have any knowledge how he died. [128]
Rimi Bewa insists that the BSF is always abusive, and they had no reason to suspect her husband. “My husband did not even live in the village,” she said:
He worked as a migrant laborer… The BSF is like this. They come and always ask who does cattle smuggling. They abuse the women. People go to defecate in the fields. But in the evening, after 7 p.m. the BSF is patrolling and they stop us. They want shops to shut. They beat us up, and say, ‘we have the power to do so.’ This BSF abuse has ruined our peace of mind. [129]
Killing of Sanjit Mondal, a 17-year-old boy
Sanjit Mondal was cycling back to his house on March 24, 2009, when he was asked to stop by BSF soldiers. According to his father, Bhabani Mondal, the soldiers from the 105 th Battalion of the BSF then beat up the 17-year-old and shot him in cold blood in front of numerous witnesses:
It must have been about 6 p.m. in the evening. The BSF is always there, because we live close to the border. My house is on the main path, so I saw the BSF pass by like every other day, from our front door. My son had gone to the shop close by. He was coming back when the BSF asked him to stop. ‘Come here,’ they said in Hindi. My son said, ‘I have to go. I have to feed the cattle.’ At this soldiers started beating him. My son was shouting, ‘Why are you hitting me? I am not a thief.’ This was happening in the village. Someone came running and told me, ‘BSF is beating your son.’ I ran out. He was just 10 yards away. In front of me, I saw the soldier shoot my son… We were standing there in shock. The soldiers told everyone to go inside, warning, ‘We will shoot anyone who comes out.’ I went to the house…. An officer, may be the commander, came and they dragged my son off the road. Then they surrounded my house. We were very scared. They called me out. The police was also there. They said, ‘Your son is a thief…’ I have 39 cows. What is the need for my son to be a thief? They just left his body lying by the street. They refused to let me move it. [130]
MASUM lodged a complaint to the Governor of West Bengal, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, the Director General of the BSF, and the District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police in Murshidabad. It has not received a response from any of them.
Killing of Shibajit Mondal
Shibajit Mondal, a 28-year-old resident of Char Rajanagar village in Murshidabad, was smuggling cattle around midnight on March 14, 2009. According to his associates, four soldiers of the BSF’s 90th Battalion came upon the smugglers. Without warning they started shooting at them. Shibajit Mondal and his associates were not carrying any weapons and thus did not pose a threat to the life or safety of the BSF soldiers.[131]
Shibajit Mondal was shot in the abdomen and brought to the Raninagar police station before being taken to the Behrampore New General Hospital. He was later transferred to a bigger hospital in Kolkata where he died of his injuries on March 30, 2009. The police registered the incident as a case of unnatural death, and investigations showed that Shibajit had been shot in an armed encounter with the BSF. Mondal’s family members filed a murder complaint against the BSF, but no investigation followed.[132]
MASUM also sent a written complaint to NHRC.[133] Based on its complaint, the NHRC sent a notice to the central Home Ministry which has operational control over the BSF. In June 2010, MASUM received a communiqué from an Under Secretary of the Home Ministry stating that a copy of a report from the BSF had been submitted to the NHRC on May 19, 2010. However, the NHRC has since not taken action or responded directly to MASUM.[134]
Killing of Peparul Sheikh, a 16-year-old boy
Peparul Sheikh, a resident of the village of Chakmathura in Murshidabad district, was shot dead by three BSF personnel of the 90th Battalion on February 19, 2009. Sixteen-year-old Peparul was with his cousin Aminul Islam when they saw the BSF constables helping smugglers push through some 30-40 cows into Bangladesh. Fearing that this large herd of cattle would damage the standing crop in the field, the two boys tried to chase the cattle away. Atahar Rahman, Aminul Islam’s father, said:
We have some farming land near the border and have to take BSF permission to go to the fields and tend our crops. That day my son Aminul Islam and his cousin Peparul Sheikh went to the farms in the evening. At around 9 p.m., my son said that they noticed that some smugglers along with three BSF constables were trying to smuggle 30-40 cattle to Bangladesh through a border outpost which is situated in our farming land. This kind of smuggling is quite regular in those areas. However, the two boys were scared that our crops would be seriously damaged due to the movement of cattle, so they tried to chase the cows away. But that meant that they had interfered with the smuggling. Those BSF personnel and smugglers ignored the boys and accomplished their job.[135]
According to Atahar Rahman, as soon as the cattle had been smuggled safely across the border, the BSF personnel started chasing the boys. While Aminul managed to flee, he saw his cousin Peparul being caught by the soldiers who beat him with their rifles, boots, and wooden sticks. Then one of the soldiers shot the teenager in the chest. When the family later saw the body, they found that the bullet had been shot at such close range that it went through his body and entered several centimetres deep into the soil. [136]
The next day, Atahar Rahman went to the police to report the murder of his nephew by the BSF, but they refused to lodge a complaint. When MASUM contacted the BSF, an officer said that Peparul was a cattle smuggler and on the day of incident, a cow was also seized from him. [137]
Indiscriminate Shooting of Mrityunjoy Mondal
Mrityunjoy Mondal, a resident of Char Rajpur Paschim Colony in Murshidabad, had stepped out into the fields to defecate in the early hours of June 23, 2009. Mrityunjoy Mondal said:
Smugglers often operate in this area to take cattle through the border. That day, two BSF constables were chasing some smugglers. I saw them run through the road next to my house and hide. It was dark, so I could not see where they had gone after they ran past me. The BSF men were angry, I think, because the smugglers had got away. They started shooting. One bullet hit the tree next to me, and the other struck me in the arm. I fell down unconscious. [138]
Mrityunjoy said he does not remember what happened next, but his father, Shyamcharan Mondal told MASUM that his son was dragged by BSF constables towards the border to falsely claim that he was injured while engaged in smuggling. Mrityunjoy received injuries in his arm, and his eye was also damaged because of the attack. [139]
The BSF did not bother to check Mrityunjoy’s identity and simply assumed him to be a smuggler.[140] Assistant Commandant Bijoy Chowdhury of the Rajanagar BSF Camp told MASUM: “Mrityunjoy Mondal was associated with smugglers and on the date of the incident about 15-20 smugglers attacked the constables of the BSF outpost with sharp cutting weapons. Then constable Mr. Pappu Kumar fired at Mr. Mrityunjoy and consequently he was injured.” [141]
The family tried to file a police complaint, but the police have refused to investigate the incident.
“Trigger Happyâ€
Attacks on Indian Nationals [by BSF]
According to MASUM, hundreds of Indian nationals have been killed by the BSF inside Indian territory, including in West Bengal state where we conducted our investigations. These are some recent cases that were investigated by MASUM in collaboration with Human Rights Watch for this report. These cases provide evidence that the BSF, in addition to its attacks on Bangladeshi citizens, is responsible for grave human rights violations against Indian nationals. The cases also show that there is no accountability for these abuses.
Killing of Basirun Bibi and Baby Ashique
On May 4, 2010, Basirun Bibi and her six-month-old grandson were killed when the BSF opened fire at Dakshin Dhadial village in Coochbehar district. The BSF opened fire after an altercation with the villagers.
The violence occurred due to ongoing tension between villagers and BSF personnel because of the border fencing by Indian authorities. As already noted above, because the fence is several kilometers inside Indian territory, villagers often have to pass through to access their land. The BSF requires them to submit their identity cards at the border post if they want to approach the area beyond the fence, towards the border. The cards are restored once they cross back. This is to prevent illegal immigration by Bangladeshi nationals.
Early in the morning on the day Bibi and Ashique were killed, a villager named Salam Ali submitted his papers and signed his name in the BSF register before taking his cattle for grazing beyond the fence. But personnel belonging to the BSF’s 113th Battalion later asked him to return, saying that permission had been revoked. Salim Ali was joined by other villagers who all gathered to protest against the BSF’s restrictions. There was a scuffle. A BSF officer then ordered that his men open fire to contain the protesters in what appears to be disproportionate use of lethal force. Six persons were injured by bullets. Basirun Bibi was shot in the chest, while her grandson was shot in the head. Both were taken to the hospital along with others injured in the firing. Ashique was dead on arrival, while Basirun Bibi later died in hospital.[99]
Two cases of unnatural death were registered at the Tufanganj police station. A police complaint was also lodged against the BSF by Salam Ali. The BSF, in turn, have lodged a complaint of rioting against the villagers at the same police station. MASUM has filed a written complaint to the NHRC but as of this writing is yet to receive a response.[100]
Killing of Atiur Rahman
Atiur Rahman, a businessman of Puthiya (Jamtala) village, had gone to visit his aunt who lives close to the Indo-Bangladesh border on March 21, 2010. He was accompanied by his cousin, Rahabul Sheikh. They were returning at around 9 p.m. when they were stopped by two BSF soldiers, both from the E Company of the 105th Battalion. While Rahabul Sheikh managed to run away, Atiur Rahman was shot dead. Marks on his body suggested that he had been beaten before he was shot. The body was recovered near the Bangladesh border in Murshidabad district.[101]
That night, according to Atiur’s father, Mesher Ali: “We heard that someone had been shot. It was still before the call for morning prayers. We were worried, so I sent my other son to check… My son saw the body. It was his brother.”[102]
The BSF initially refused to let family members view the body. But later, when they were finally permitted, they saw that Atiur Rahman had been brutally tortured, his arms twisted and broken. His uncle Alauddin Biswas, who saw the body as the police removed it, said that Rahman must have been shot point-blank in his forehead, as he lay on the ground. The bullet had pierced his head and was recovered from where it was embedded below in the soil. He was also shot in the abdomen. Alauddin Biswas said:
I went to see the body. It was lying 5-6 kilometers away from our house. There were police and politicians. We all saw that the BSF had shot him while he was lying on his back. They had shot him in the forehead and the bullet had pierced through and was lying a few inches inside the ground. If he was running away, he would have been shot in the back. They just killed him… We have no idea why he was killed… We know about the curfew. People are not allowed to roam around after dark. But why did they have to kill him? They could have arrested him if they thought he was a smuggler.[103]
The Company Commander of the BSF’s 105th Battalion stated in his complaint to the police that, while on patrol:
Constable Sunil Kumar observed 10-15 smugglers along with about six cattle heads coming from the India side and going towards the Bangladesh side. He also saw a shadow of a smuggler nearby as such he physically apprehended him. The remaining smugglers tried to free the apprehended smuggler by attacking and encircling patrolling party and they managed to get him free. They also tried to snatch Constable Sunil Kumar’s weapons, however, they could not do so. The patrolling party challenged the smugglers to stop but the smugglers [sic] party threatened and encircled the patrolling party. During the course of fighting Constable Sunil Kumar sustained minor injuries on his right arm and left leg. The butt of his rifle suffered damage by the dah [scythe] of the smuggler. Sensing imminent danger to his own life and in self-defense of his life, Constable Sunil Kumar fired two rounds from his rifle…. Resultantly … Atiur Rehman … sustained bullet injuries on his forehead and back and died on the spot. There are no reports of casualties or injuries of other smugglers or any BSF personnel. On firing, the remaining smugglers along with the cattle heads ran towards Dihipara village in India ….[104]
Atiur Rahman’s father has lodged a murder complaint against the police, citing bullet injuries that show that his son was lying on his back on the ground when he was shot, and that there were injuries on the body resulting from the torture that was inflicted before he was killed. No investigation has followed.
Killing of Shahjahan Gazi
Eighteen-year-old Shahjahan Gazi, of 24 North Parganas district, was involved in smuggling. On November 10, 2009, he left his home, telling his family that he was going away to work. The next morning, he turned up, badly injured, at the home of Panchanan Sarkar, who lives at the edge of the border in Dobila.
Shahjahan told Sarkar that he was caught by BSF personnel at around 1:30 a.m. He said he was beaten mercilessly, and the soldiers probably left him thinking he was dead. But he regained consciousness and managed to drag himself to the nearest house. By that time, other villagers had gathered at Sarkar’s house and they arranged for a vehicle to take Shahjahan to the hospital. However, before they could leave, at around 11 a.m., some BSF personnel arrived and said that they would arrange for Shahjahan’s treatment and took him into custody.[105]
The villagers, meanwhile, informed Shahjahan’s family and they rushed to the district hospital in Basirhat. They found that the BSF had already reached the hospital at around 1:30 p.m. and that Shahjahan was dead when the BSF brought him in.
Since Shahjahan was alive when handed into BSF custody, the villagers went to the police station to file a murder complaint. The police lodged a First Information Report (FIR)[106] based on a complaint filed by Afsar Gazi, Shahjahan’s father. According to the FIR, the BSF—instead of heading to the hospital—took Shahjahan to the Dobila camp, where he was beaten to death.[107]
However, when MASUM contacted the Investigating Officer Kartik Chandra Mandal, a sub-inspector at the Swarupnagar police station, he said that he contacted the BSF, but could not verify the identity of the personnel who may have been responsible. He also admitted that he was helpless and could not take any action against the BSF.[108] At the inquest, it was revealed that the postmortem conducted by government doctors had found severe injuries on the victim’s arm and back.
Because Shahjahan was Muslim, MASUM also lodged a written complaint with the National Minorities Commission.[109] As of this writing, there has been no progress in this case.
Killing of Noor Hossain, a 17-year-old boy
Noor Hossain, 17, was killed on the banks of River Padma by BSF personnel on September 1, 2009. MASUM investigations revealed that the boy, a resident of Brahmaottar village in Murshidabad district, belonged to a very poor family and used to engage in cattle smuggling.[110]
Witnesses said that when they heard loud voices and shouting, they ran to the river. They saw that Noor Hossain was being beaten mercilessly by BSF personnel and lay groaning on the ground, pleading for his life.[111] But the BSF kept hitting him, and then fired two shots. Said his uncle Mustafa Sheikh:
We did not even know he had gone out. We thought he was sleeping…. At around 10:45 p.m. or so, I heard gun shots. I thought to myself, ‘They have gone and killed someone again.’ Around half an hour later, maybe around 11: 15 or so, there was a sound again. That is when they shot at it his body. After he had died, they shot him in the back… The bullet exited from the side, not through his body…. Then we heard people calling out…. They said that Noor Hossain had been killed. I ran, but the soldiers would not let us go near…. When finally the police arrived, they let us go near. I saw marks on him. He had been badly beaten.[112]
The next morning, the body was sent for autopsy. The BSF lodged a police complaint and submitted farming implements, sticks, and two cows that were recovered near the body. P. Bodhra, a Company Commander in the BSF’s 105th Battalion told the police that that Noor Hossain, a smuggler, had been killed by BSF personnel.[113]
On September 5, MASUM staff accompanied Noor Hossain’s father and brother, Jerman and Salim Sheikh, to the police station to lodge a complaint. Police officer Kanun Mondal read the report, but returned it to Salim Sheikh saying that he could not take any steps against the BSF. The Sheikhs waited for two hours until the Officer-in-Charge, Dulal Biswas, turned up at the police station. The complaint was handed to Dulal Biswas. He read the whole report and then rebuked Noor Hossain’s relatives, saying that the boy had been justifiably killed by the BSF when he was caught smuggling.[114]
Mustafa Sheikh told Human Rights Watch that the police have recommended the family stop pursuing the case. “They say, ‘Why do you bother? What will happen to the BSF? Nothing can happen to the BSF. The BSF will say that the 24 kilometer border area is under their control.’”[115]
MASUM repeatedly asked the police about their investigation into BSF excesses in this case, but to no avail. The group than sent a written complaint to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, but is yet to receive a response.[116]
Family members said that they have never been summoned to testify before a BSF court of inquiry, which indicates that no internal investigation was done to check if the soldiers had deliberately killed someone in their custody.
Killing of Shyamsundar Mondal
Shyamsundar Mondal was killed on August 22, 2009, in Murshidabad. The BSF claimed that its personnel based in the Rajanagar camp had shot and killed him in an encounter with smugglers at around 7 p.m. at Dadur Ghat, on the banks of the Padma River.
The family had lost their land due to erosion, and Shyamsundar Mondal, according to his family members, had apparently taken to cattle smuggling to earn a living. According to eyewitnesses who were with Mondal but did not wish to be identified, BSF personnel from the 191st Battalion caught the smugglers while they were taking the cows into Bangladesh and immediately opened fire without warning. One of the bullets struck Shyamsundar in the back, and he instantly fell down. His associates, believing him to be injured, first started dragging him along as they escaped. But later, realizing that he was dead, they left his body in a jute field and ran away.[117]
The police, along with family members, recovered the body on August 23, and it was taken for autopsy. The police registered a case of unnatural death. On the same day, S.R. Chowdhury, the Assistant Commandant of the BSF, filed a police complaint against 40 to 45 unknown smugglers and said that two rounds had been fired to stop them in their activities.[118] The BSF also handed over four buffaloes that had been seized during the operation.[119]
When Ramesh Chandra Mondal, the father of the victim, initially told the police that he wanted to lodge a complaint against the BSF for killing his son, the officer at the Raninagar police station said that it would be of little use, since Shyamsundar was killed while committing a crime. However, with the assistance of MASUM, Mondal did lodge a written complaint, saying that his son was shot without warning by BSF soldiers, citing the bullet injury which suggested that the victim was not in an attacking position when he was shot.[120] The police registered a criminal case, but as of this writing, there has been no investigation or arrest.[121]
MASUM sent a complaint to the NHRC, but is yet to receive a response.[122]
Killing of Sushanta Mondal, a 13-year-old boy
According to Panchanan Mondal, his 13-year-old son, Sushanta Mondal, was brutally killed by the BSF on July 13, 2009. Sushanta lived with his family in a village almost adjacent to the Bangladesh border in Murshidabad district. The village, called Borderpara, sits on the Padma river, and that day, Sushanta, along with his friends, Prosenjit and Pintu Mondal, went to swim in the river. Several other villagers were also there at the time, and they later informed Panchanan Mondal of his son’s death.
My son had gone to the river as usual along with his two friends. Some BSF personnel approached them on a speed boat and attacked the boys without any provocation. While the other boys managed to swim away, my son could not get away. The BSF men kept circling my son with their boat, and probably injured him with the propellers. I think they did it deliberately…. He eventually drowned. We tried to rescue his body, but in vain. However, his dead body emerged out of water on July 14, at around 12 a.m. I, along with other villagers, refused to hand over the body for post-mortem until the police lodged a complaint against the BSF personnel. [123]
After calming the protesting villagers, the police took the body and sent it for autopsy. However, despite promising to investigate the role of the BSF, the police took no action against them. “It was evident from the injuries on my son’s dead body that his death occurred due to injuries inflicted upon him by the BSF speed boats. Yet, no one is willing to bring those BSF personnel perpetrators to justice,” said Mondal. [124]
Killing of Abdus Samad
Saying that they suspected 35-year-old Abdus Samad of smuggling, several BSF personnel, led by Commander P. Vodra, forcibly entered his mud hut in the village of Biswanathpur in Murshidabad district on May 5, 2009. Abdus Samad did not live in the village, but worked as a day-laborer in Kolkata. However, he had come home after his wife delivered twin sons, to help take care of the family. Rimi Bewa, his wife, said that the BSF soldiers were harsh and abusive:
We were asleep when the BSF came at around 3 a.m. We have a broken door. We heard footsteps. They entered through the door. One of them kicked me and asked, ‘Where is your husband?’ They kicked me and used verbal abuses…. My husband woke up and immediately the BSF personnel started to beat him in front of our children with rifle *****, boots, and sticks. Then they tied his hands on his back and dragged him outside the house, still beating him… I was scared and ran after them pleading that they stop beating my husband, but they ignored me. Hearing me screaming, some neighbours came out of their house. They also asked those BSF personnel to stop. The men threatened them too with their guns. We saw him being dragged off. He was shouting. He was bleeding.[125]
Abdus Samad’s body was later found in the field and was taken to the BSF camp. Next morning, Rimi, accompanied by her husband’s brother Abdul Hakim and a village council leader, went to the police to complain about the assault, abduction, and killing of Abdus Samad. The police initially refused to register a complaint against the BSF and only complied when village leaders intervened. Later, the police informed the family that the BSF had registered a complaint with the police, claiming that he was arrested for trafficking heroin, and had died in custody because he had suffered a heart attack. [126]
The BSF apparently tried to persuade the local hospital authorities to support their claim of a heart attack. However, Dr. Goutam Ghosh, superintendent of the hospital told MASUM: “I had prepared myself to conduct the post-mortem but after observing few abnormalities, injuries on the body, I decided not to proceed with the post-mortem.” [127] He sent the body instead for autopsy by more senior doctors at the Behrampore New General Hospital.
Mr. P. Vodra, the BSF Commander, who according to eyewitnesses was present when Abdus Samad was detained, later told MASUM:
Abdus Samad was arrested with heroin near the Indo-Bangladesh border by constables Prahlad Roy and Ran Riyauddin. He was transferred to the Ramnagar BSF Camp as their camp didn’t have adequate facilities in which to detain a person. However, Samad became ill in custody as was duly treated at the Ramnagar camp and referred to Bhagabangola Hospital. I don’t have any knowledge how he died. [128]
Rimi Bewa insists that the BSF is always abusive, and they had no reason to suspect her husband. “My husband did not even live in the village,” she said:
He worked as a migrant laborer… The BSF is like this. They come and always ask who does cattle smuggling. They abuse the women. People go to defecate in the fields. But in the evening, after 7 p.m. the BSF is patrolling and they stop us. They want shops to shut. They beat us up, and say, ‘we have the power to do so.’ This BSF abuse has ruined our peace of mind. [129]
Killing of Sanjit Mondal, a 17-year-old boy
Sanjit Mondal was cycling back to his house on March 24, 2009, when he was asked to stop by BSF soldiers. According to his father, Bhabani Mondal, the soldiers from the 105 th Battalion of the BSF then beat up the 17-year-old and shot him in cold blood in front of numerous witnesses:
It must have been about 6 p.m. in the evening. The BSF is always there, because we live close to the border. My house is on the main path, so I saw the BSF pass by like every other day, from our front door. My son had gone to the shop close by. He was coming back when the BSF asked him to stop. ‘Come here,’ they said in Hindi. My son said, ‘I have to go. I have to feed the cattle.’ At this soldiers started beating him. My son was shouting, ‘Why are you hitting me? I am not a thief.’ This was happening in the village. Someone came running and told me, ‘BSF is beating your son.’ I ran out. He was just 10 yards away. In front of me, I saw the soldier shoot my son… We were standing there in shock. The soldiers told everyone to go inside, warning, ‘We will shoot anyone who comes out.’ I went to the house…. An officer, may be the commander, came and they dragged my son off the road. Then they surrounded my house. We were very scared. They called me out. The police was also there. They said, ‘Your son is a thief…’ I have 39 cows. What is the need for my son to be a thief? They just left his body lying by the street. They refused to let me move it. [130]
MASUM lodged a complaint to the Governor of West Bengal, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, the Director General of the BSF, and the District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police in Murshidabad. It has not received a response from any of them.
Killing of Shibajit Mondal
Shibajit Mondal, a 28-year-old resident of Char Rajanagar village in Murshidabad, was smuggling cattle around midnight on March 14, 2009. According to his associates, four soldiers of the BSF’s 90th Battalion came upon the smugglers. Without warning they started shooting at them. Shibajit Mondal and his associates were not carrying any weapons and thus did not pose a threat to the life or safety of the BSF soldiers.[131]
Shibajit Mondal was shot in the abdomen and brought to the Raninagar police station before being taken to the Behrampore New General Hospital. He was later transferred to a bigger hospital in Kolkata where he died of his injuries on March 30, 2009. The police registered the incident as a case of unnatural death, and investigations showed that Shibajit had been shot in an armed encounter with the BSF. Mondal’s family members filed a murder complaint against the BSF, but no investigation followed.[132]
MASUM also sent a written complaint to NHRC.[133] Based on its complaint, the NHRC sent a notice to the central Home Ministry which has operational control over the BSF. In June 2010, MASUM received a communiqué from an Under Secretary of the Home Ministry stating that a copy of a report from the BSF had been submitted to the NHRC on May 19, 2010. However, the NHRC has since not taken action or responded directly to MASUM.[134]
Killing of Peparul Sheikh, a 16-year-old boy
Peparul Sheikh, a resident of the village of Chakmathura in Murshidabad district, was shot dead by three BSF personnel of the 90th Battalion on February 19, 2009. Sixteen-year-old Peparul was with his cousin Aminul Islam when they saw the BSF constables helping smugglers push through some 30-40 cows into Bangladesh. Fearing that this large herd of cattle would damage the standing crop in the field, the two boys tried to chase the cattle away. Atahar Rahman, Aminul Islam’s father, said:
We have some farming land near the border and have to take BSF permission to go to the fields and tend our crops. That day my son Aminul Islam and his cousin Peparul Sheikh went to the farms in the evening. At around 9 p.m., my son said that they noticed that some smugglers along with three BSF constables were trying to smuggle 30-40 cattle to Bangladesh through a border outpost which is situated in our farming land. This kind of smuggling is quite regular in those areas. However, the two boys were scared that our crops would be seriously damaged due to the movement of cattle, so they tried to chase the cows away. But that meant that they had interfered with the smuggling. Those BSF personnel and smugglers ignored the boys and accomplished their job.[135]
According to Atahar Rahman, as soon as the cattle had been smuggled safely across the border, the BSF personnel started chasing the boys. While Aminul managed to flee, he saw his cousin Peparul being caught by the soldiers who beat him with their rifles, boots, and wooden sticks. Then one of the soldiers shot the teenager in the chest. When the family later saw the body, they found that the bullet had been shot at such close range that it went through his body and entered several centimetres deep into the soil. [136]
The next day, Atahar Rahman went to the police to report the murder of his nephew by the BSF, but they refused to lodge a complaint. When MASUM contacted the BSF, an officer said that Peparul was a cattle smuggler and on the day of incident, a cow was also seized from him. [137]
Indiscriminate Shooting of Mrityunjoy Mondal
Mrityunjoy Mondal, a resident of Char Rajpur Paschim Colony in Murshidabad, had stepped out into the fields to defecate in the early hours of June 23, 2009. Mrityunjoy Mondal said:
Smugglers often operate in this area to take cattle through the border. That day, two BSF constables were chasing some smugglers. I saw them run through the road next to my house and hide. It was dark, so I could not see where they had gone after they ran past me. The BSF men were angry, I think, because the smugglers had got away. They started shooting. One bullet hit the tree next to me, and the other struck me in the arm. I fell down unconscious. [138]
Mrityunjoy said he does not remember what happened next, but his father, Shyamcharan Mondal told MASUM that his son was dragged by BSF constables towards the border to falsely claim that he was injured while engaged in smuggling. Mrityunjoy received injuries in his arm, and his eye was also damaged because of the attack. [139]
The BSF did not bother to check Mrityunjoy’s identity and simply assumed him to be a smuggler.[140] Assistant Commandant Bijoy Chowdhury of the Rajanagar BSF Camp told MASUM: “Mrityunjoy Mondal was associated with smugglers and on the date of the incident about 15-20 smugglers attacked the constables of the BSF outpost with sharp cutting weapons. Then constable Mr. Pappu Kumar fired at Mr. Mrityunjoy and consequently he was injured.” [141]
The family tried to file a police complaint, but the police have refused to investigate the incident.
“Trigger Happyâ€
Gyp 111
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They made a country for you so why you go there illegally?
16 illegal Indian immigrants held in UK
16 illegal Indian immigrants held in UK - Hindustan Times
36 Indians arrested for illegal work in UK
36 Indians arrested for illegal work in UK - Times Of India
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i think the BSFs r firing with insas and ak-47s..hmm very bad... then what are RPGs,tavors,machine guns,multiple rocket launchers,RCLs for 
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