BSF shoots in head, chest, eyes: BGB chief [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

BSF shoots in head, chest, eyes: BGB chief

Local October 09, 2016

The Border Guard Bangladesh director general, Major General Aziz Ahmed, on Friday said that the Indian Border Security Force shot Bangladeshi people in the head, eyes and chest.
At a press conference at the border guard headquarters in Dhaka, he also said that the border killings were hindering the bilateral relations and the director general-level meeting of the two border forces agreed to stop cattle smuggling to stop border killing.
He said, ‘They [BSF] claimed they use non-lethal weapon after being attacked...We replied we use lethal weapon and do not kill people even after being attacked. As a last resort, we just shoot in the lower part of the body. We asked why their [BSF] personnel shot in the chest and head.’
The press conference was held to describe what Bangladesh delegation discussed in the 43rd top-level meeting of the two border forces in New Delhi.
Aziz said that about 95 per cent of border killings took place because of cattle smuggling from India to Bangladesh.
‘Besides, smuggling of gold, drugs and firearms also are firmly connected with the cattle smuggling...BSF was urged to take meaningful steps to stop cattle smuggling,’ he said.
The border guard chief alleged that cattle corridors increased significantly over the years and Bangladeshi cattle carriers were allured to transport the cattle from India risking life.
He said, ‘All agencies know who are behind the cattle smuggling.’
According to official statistics, about 8,23,764 cattle mostly cows were imported from India through the customs checkpoints in eight months till August and Bangladesh earned Tk 40,95,95,770 in revenue.
The bi-annual conference concluded in New Delhi on October 4 with the signing of a Joint Records of Discussion. The border forces agreed to hold similar meeting in February 2017.
In the joint records, both the forces agreed to train Bangladesh border guard commandos by India as a part of confidence building measures between the two forces.
Aziz said the Bangladesh delegation protested at ‘often’ intrusion of Indian border force into Bangladesh territory.
‘Such intrusion often cause terror in the border village…It is a violation of border management and norms of the border...We cited a set of examples and they assured us of stopping of the recurrence of such incident,’ he said.
Border guard officials said that the Bangladesh delegation pressed for quick implementation of a decision made at such a meeting in Dhaka on May 16 for a joint investigation into each incident of border killings.
The border guard has already suggested a prescribed form for the joint investigation which is yet to be approved by the Indian home ministry, they said.
Not a single killing in the India-Bangladesh border has yet been investigated jointly, the officials said. At least 23 people were killed between the two meetings.
Aziz said that they had intercepted a consignment of Yaba from Indian border and requested their counterpart to check whether those were being manufactured in India or an organised group used India as a route from Myanmar.
The border guard delegation also submitted a list of 230 criminals currently hiding in India and sought assistance for their arrest.
Bangladesh shares 4,053 kilometres of border with India. About 79 per cent of the border line is already fenced by India while Bangladesh is set to install some 282 kilometre barbwire fence starting from Cox’s Bazar.