Shahidul Islam, a 37-year-old Bangladeshi was killed by the BSF shooting along the Kazipur border in Meherpur district at some time between the evening of January 14 and morning of 15 January 2010.
Kamala Khatun, wife of Shahidul Islam, told Odhikar that Shahidul was released from an Indian prison, about six weeks ago where he had been detained for three years. As Shahidul owned no land, he had been working as a day-labourer in the Kazipur village where he lived with his mother, wife and two daughters.
On January 14, 2010, Shahidul left home at 4.00 in the evening telling his wife that he would be back for dinner at 8.00 pm. The next morning, his family have been informed by villagers that Shahidul had been killed by the BSF, a few kilometers from his home.
There was some confusion as to his time of death. The villagers and the family members all concluded that they heard gunshot at around 9.00 pm on 14 January, 2010. However, both the BSF and the BDR claimed that he was killed between 4.30 and 5.00 am on 15 January while crossing the border.
On January 17, 2010, the BSF handed over the body of Shahidul to the BDR and he was buried by his family the same day. The family members and police informed Odhikar that Shahidul had been killed with one bullet in the abdomen. His family also informed that there were several bruises on his body. They also claimed that his bones were broken and that there was a wound at the back of his head. The investigating officer, however, said that the there were no physical signs of harm on the body.
An autopsy was conducted in India before the body was handed over to the Bangladeshi authority. As of February 13, 2010, the Bangladeshi police had not obtained a copy of the autopsy report from the Indian authority or from the Meherpur District Hospital.
Odhikar has not been able to obtain further details as to the exact circumstances of Shahidul’s death. The killing took place probably at night at a place located 1.5 kilometers near the border. BDR, police and villagers claimed that it was on the Bangladeshi side of the border but there were no witnesses.
fact-finding-border violence-Shahidul Islam-2010 (full text in English, PDF)
[geo_mashup_map height=”200″ width=”500″ zoom=”10″ add_overview_control=”false” add_map_type_control=”false”]
