The body of a 25-year-old Bangladeshi youth, Hasibul Alam, killed in firing by the Indian Border Security Force at Hatibandha border in Lalmonirhat, was handed over on Thursday night.
The body was handed over at around 11:00pm on Thursday in the Kharija Jongra border area of 鈥嬧�婸atgram upazila after a BGB-BSF flag meeting.
Raj Kumar, commander of the Maheshmari camp of India鈥檚 157th BSF battalion, the officer-in-charge of Shitalkuchi police station and Subedar Rezaul Islam, representative of the Kharija Jongra camp of Bangladesh鈥檚 61st BGB battalion, sub-inspector of Patgram police station, Tajrul Islam, and the deceased youth鈥檚 father, Zahidul Islam, and uncle Rashidul Islam were present at the event.
The deceased, Hasibul Alam, is son of Moshale Uddin in Singimari area of 鈥嬧�婬atibandha upazila.
Earlier in the evening, a flag meeting was held between border guards of the two countries in this regard.
Witnesses and local sources said that on Wednesday afternoon, Hasibul Alam and some Bangladeshi nationals went to cut grass inside Bangladesh near the 6S sub-pillar of the main pillar number 894 of the Hatibandha border.
It was alleged that the BSF members from the Nagar Singimari camp of Shitalkuchi police station in Cooch Behar district of West Bengal state of India entered Bangladeshi territory and chased the Bangladeshis who were cutting grass.
At one point, The BSF members opened fire on the Bangladeshis and Hasibul was shot, and the BSF caught him and took him to India.
Hasibul later died while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Cooch Behar.
The day after the incident, Hasibul鈥檚 family spent hours in waiting to get the body back.
Although the BSF promised to return the body by Thursday afternoon during the first flag meeting on Wednesday afternoon, it did not keep its promise. After repeated protests and communication from the BGB, the body was finally handed over to the BGB after another flag meeting on Thursday night.
Patgram police officer-in-charge Ashrafuzzaman Sarkar said that the Indian police and BSF handed over the body to the BGB and the Bangladesh police. After the legal process, the body was handed over to the deceased鈥檚 father and uncle that night.
Hatibandha police officer-in-charge Mahmudun Nabi said that the body was handed over to Hasibul鈥檚 family.
BGB officials refused to comment over the matter.
