JUSTICE for the murder of Felani Khatun at the hands of India鈥檚 Border Security Force on January 7, 2011, could be a point of departure towards improved border management and relations between Bangladesh and India. But it has not happened. The photograph of Felani hanging from the fence created a global stir and readily became a symbol of Indian high-handedness in border control. The case rolled into trial, but a general security forces court acquitted the only accused on August 19, 2013. Amidst an uproar, the Indian force decided to revise the trial, but another judicial court upheld the earlier verdict. A writ petition, filed by Felani鈥檚 father and a West Bengal-based human rights organisation, with India鈥檚 high court has not been heard in years. It, therefore, remains for Dhaka and rights and civil society organisations of Bangladesh and India to mount pressure on Indian authorities to set up an independent, impartial commission of inquiry of the case and other serious rights violations by the Indian guards.
The Indian guards killed at least 30 Bangladeshis in 2024 alone while the force killed 588 and injured 773 Bangladeshis, as Odhikar says, in 2009鈥�2024. Delhi repeatedly promised to end border killing, but the Indian guards continued to use lethal weapons and kill and torture Bangladeshis. What is also problematic is the claim of Indian authorities that their border guards kill 鈥榗riminals鈥� and 鈥榮mugglers鈥� on the border. Cross-border smuggling happens on the border and such smuggling involves people from both sides. There are agreements and international laws to be followed in dealing with smugglers. Indian authorities on many occasions pledged to follow international laws, but the Indian guards continue to pursue a shoot-to-kill policy, dishonouring the agreements and memoranda that Bangladesh and India signed. In many instances, Indian guards have tortured and killed Bangladeshis, mostly farmers working on the field well inside the Bangladesh territory. Such high-handedness and disregard for international border control protocol by the Indian border force has remained a prickly issue between the two countries.
An end to border killing and a peaceful border could have been achieved if justice had been ensured in earlier incidents of border killing, including the death of Felani. But India has never held any of the accused to justice. Dhaka should, therefore, push for an immediate implementation of a zero-border killing policy and take up the issue at international forums as it is a violation of international laws. Delhi should also deliver on its promises while Indian rights and civil society organisations should mount pressure on their government to stop border killing.
