Bangladeshi injured in BSF shooting dies

A Bangladeshi has died and four others injured after BSF personnel crossed the border and opened fire at Lalmonirhat’s Durgapur, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and locals say.

Lalmonirhat-15 BGB battalion Commander Lt Col Ahmed Bazlur Rahman Hayati said the incident took place after a BSF team crossed the border while chasing cattle smugglers on Thursday night.

‘Rahim’, 30, died at the Rangpur Medical College and Hospital (RMCH) on Friday morning, doctors said.

One of the injured, ‘Sultan’, is being treated at the RMCH while others – ‘Saju’, ‘Sumon’, and ‘Barek’ – have been admitted to the Lalmonirhat Sadar Hospital.

Sultan claimed the BSF team had moved in around 350 yards from the zero line and tried to snatch cattle from them, leading to a clash.

The BSF troopers opened fire and went back with four cows, he added.

Although the BGB claimed the BSF had used rubber bullets, doctors at Lalmonirhat hospital said otherwise.

Dr Mrinal Kanti Roy said, “Rahim and Sultan were sent to Rangpur medical as their condition had deteriorated.

“Rahim was profusely bleeding and it did not look like a rubber bullet wound.”

BGB Commander Hayati said they had lodged strong protest with their Indian counterparts over the incident.

“A flag meeting is scheduled for 4pm at Durgapur border,” he said.

Border killing has been a thorny bilateral issue between the neighbours. The Indian border guards have often been criticised for their actions and dubbed ‘trigger-happy’ by rights group.

Delhi had promised to curb border deaths and provide ‘non-lethal’ weapons to its troopers but the situation seems not to have improved yet.