At around 5:00 am on 24 July, 2011 the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) allegedly killed Mohammed Rafikul Islam (35) of Ufarmara village (which is under the jurisdiction of Patgram Police Station, Lalmonirhat) by throwing stones at him.
The river Saniajan flows between the ‘BS Bari BSF Camp’ and ‘Khorkhoria BSF Camp’ in India towards Bangladesh through the Bamondol village in the area of Patgram Police Station. The Indian government made a bridge on its side of the river and they also put up a barbed wire fence. BSF members guard the border standing on the bridge. Indian businessmen send their goods from Fokirer Danga village of Mekliganj Police Station of Kuchbihar district in India, through to Bangladesh on the river, under the bridge. The cattle traders of India help the Bangladeshi cattle traders to return to Bangladesh by swimming under the bridge. The BSF members throw stones whilst standing on the bridge, on the people swimming towards Bangladesh. As a result people and cows are often killed and remain floating on the water after death. It is alleged that members of the BSF threw stones at Rafikul Islam from the bridge and then brought him to the bridge and hit him, resulting in his death.
It is the allegation of the inhabitants of the border area that the more the issue of border killing is discussed between Bangladesh and India, the more techniques of killing are being invented by the BSF.
There has been no implementation of the continuous guarantee to Bangladesh that Bangladeshi citizens will not be killed by the BSF. It is apparent that the BSF is using new techniques to continue killing people. According to reports, these techniques used against unarmed Bangladeshis include connecting electricity to the barbed wire fence and has been seen in this case, also the throwing of stones to cause severe injury and often death.
Odhikar demands that the government of Bangladesh take strong effective steps against this shameful killing which not only harms its citizens but also undermines national sovereignty and weakens the Bangladeshi government as a whole.
fact-finding-border violence-Mohammed Rafikul Islam-2011 (full text in English, PDF)
fact-finding-border violence-Mohammed Rafikul Islam-2011 (full text in Bangla, PDF)
[geo_mashup_map height=”200″ width=”500″ zoom=”10″ add_overview_control=”false” add_map_type_control=”false”]
