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The killing fields- India- Bangladesh Border

Banglar Bir

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Bangladesh–India border
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The border has created a narrow strip known as "Chicken's neck" that has made the communication and transportation between mainland India and Northeast India inconvenient
The Bangladesh–India border (Bengali: বাংলাদেশ-ভারত সীমান্ত), known locally as the International Border (IB), is an international border running between Bangladesh and India that demarcates the six divisions of Bangladesh and the Indian states.

Bangladesh and India share a 4,096-kilometer (2,545-mile)-long international border, the fifth-longest land border in the world, including 262 km in Assam, 856 km in Tripura, 180 km in Mizoram, 443 km in Meghalaya, and 2,217 km in Bengal.[1] The Bangladeshi divisions of Mymensingh, Khulna, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Sylhet and Chittagong are situated along the border. A number of pillars mark the border between the two states. Small demarcated portions of the border are fenced on both sides. The Land Boundary Agreement to simplify the border was ratified by both India and Bangladesh on 7 May 2015.[2]



Contents
[1History


History[edit]
Further information: Radcliffe Line
The Radcliffe Line was published on 17 August 1947 as a boundary demarcation line between India and Pakistan upon the partition of India. It was named after its architect, Sir Cyril Radcliffe, who, as chairman of the Border Commissions, was charged with equitably dividing 175,000 square miles (450,000 km2) of territory with 88 million people.[3]

Issues[edit]
See also: Deaths along the Bangladesh–India border

BDR (now BGB) Commander checking the dead Bangladeshi soldiers at the Border
The border is used as a route for smuggling livestock, food items, medicines and drugs from India to Bangladesh. Moreover, illegal immigrants from Bangladesh cross the border to India. Because of a large number of illegal immigrants crossing from Bangladesh into India, a controversial shoot-on-sight policy has been enforced by the Indian border patrols.[4][5][6] This policy was initiated with reports of violence between the illegal migrants and Indian soldiers.[7] The border has also witnessed occasional skirmishes between the Indian Border Security Force and the Border Guards Bangladesh, most notably in 2001.

In July 2009, Channel 4 News reported that hundreds of Bangladeshis were killed by the BSF along the Indo-Bangladeshi Barrier. The BSF claims that the barrier's main purpose is to check illegal immigration and to prevent cross-border terrorism.[8] In 2010, Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued an 81-page report which brought up uncountable abuses of the BSF. The report was compiled from the interviews taken from the victims of BSF torments, witnesses, members of the BSF and its Bangladeshi counterpart. The report stated that over 1000 Bangladeshi citizens were killed during the first decade of the 21st century. According to HRW, BSF did not only shoot illegal migrants or smugglers but even innocents who were seen near, sometimes even people working in fields (farmland) near the border.[9]


Bangladesh Last House, in the Bangladesh–India border at Jointa Hill Resort, Tamabil, Sylhet.
BSF has often been accused by Bangladesh government of incursions into Bangladesh territory, and indiscriminate shooting of civilians along the India-Bangladesh borders. This was in retaliation to massive illegal immigration from Bangladesh to India, for which the Indo-Bangladeshi Barrier is underway.[10] In a news conference in August 2008, Indian BSF officials admitted that they killed 59 illegals (34 Bangladeshis, 21 Indians, rest unidentified) who were trying to cross the border during the prior six months.[11]Bangladeshi media accused the BSF of abducting 5 Bangladeshi children, aged between 8 and 15, from the Haripur Upazila in Thakurgaon District of Bangladesh, in 2010. The children were setting fishing nets near the border.[12] In 2010, Human Rights Watch has accused the Border Security Force for the indiscriminate killings. BSF forces killed and hanged the dead body over the fence Ms. Felani (a 15-year-old Bangladeshi girl) on 7 January 2011.[13]

Many conferences have been held between India and Bangladesh to discuss such issues as smuggling and trespassing, cattle lifting, trafficking of drugs and arms. Colonel Muhammad Shahid Sarwar of BGB gave Border Security Force a list of miscreants which took place in India, and the BSF side also handed over a similar list to the BGB.

Enclaves, adverse possessions and undemarcated boundaries[edit]
Main article: India–Bangladesh enclaves

India Bangladesh Border
The enclaves or chitmahals (Bengali: ছিটমহল) between India and Bangladesh border in the Indian state of West Bengal were a long-standing issue between the countries.

The enclaves were reputedly part of a high-stakes card game or chess games centuries ago between two regional kings, the Raja of Cooch Behar and the Maharaja of Rangpur, and the result of the confused outcome of a treaty between the Kingdom of Koch Bihar and the Mughal Empire. After the partition of India in 1947, Cooch Behar district merged with India and Rangpur went to then-East Pakistan, which became Bangladesh in 1971. The prime ministers of India and Bangladesh signed a Land Boundary Agreement in 1974 to exchange all enclaves and simplify the international border. In 1974 Bangladesh approved the proposed Land Boundary Agreement, but India did not ratify it. In 2011 the two countries again agreed to exchange enclaves and adverse possessions. A revised version of the agreement was finally adopted by the two countries when the Parliament of India passed the 119th Amendment to the Indian Constitution on 7 May 2015.[14][15] Inside the main part of Bangladesh, there were 111 Indian enclaves (17,160.63 acres), while inside the main part of India, there were 51 Bangladeshi enclaves (7,110.02 acres). In respect of adverse possessions, India received 2,777.038 acres of land and transferred 2,267.682 acres to Bangladesh. Under the agreement, the enclave residents could continue to reside at their present location or move to the country of their choice.[16][17] The adverse possession of Boraibari went to Bangladesh.[18] The undemarcated borders between the nations were also finally solved with respect to Daikhata-Dumabari, Muhurichar (an island in the Muhuri River),[19] and Pyrdiwah.[20][21][22]

Maritime boundary[edit]
India and Bangladesh had engaged in eight rounds of bilateral negotiations starting 1974, but it remained inconclusive until 2009. In October 2009, Bangladesh served India with notice of arbitration proceedings under the UNCLOS.

The Arbitration Tribunal delivered the ruling on 7 July 2014 and settled the dispute.[23]

Transportation[edit]
Main article: Transport between India and Bangladesh
Transport between India and Bangladesh bears much historical and political significance for both countries, which possessed no ground transport links for 43 years, starting with the partition of Bengal and India in 1947. The KolkataDhaka Bus (1999) and the Dhaka–Agartala Bus (2001) are the primary road links between the two countries; a direct Kolkata-Agartala running through Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh is being developed by both countries. The Maitree Express (Friendship Express) was launched to revive a railway link between Kolkata and Dhaka that had been shut for 43 years.[24]

After the establishment of Bangladesh following the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, bilateral relations improved considerably, but the two governments moved slowly on implementing a 1980 agreement on improving transport links.[25] In the 1990s, the Indian and Bangladeshi governments collaborated to open bus services between Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal and one of the largest cities in India, and Dhaka, the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. In 2001, another bus service was launched to connect Dhaka with Agartala, the capital of the Indian state of Tripura, the second largest city of Northeast India that borders Bangladesh in the east.

In 2015 June direct bus service from Kolkata to Agartala via, Petrapole, Dhaka, Akhoura began. The service is operated by West Bengal surface transport corporation.

India-Bangladesh barrier[edit]

The border fence close to the Hili Border station in West Bangladesh
The project has run into several delays and there is no clear completion date for the project yet.[26][27][28] The barrier when complete will be patrolled by the Border Security Force. The fence will also be electrified at some stretches.

The BSF claims that the barrier's main purpose is to prevent smuggling of narcotics.[8]

Barbed wire fencing[edit]
India is constructing the Indo-Bangladeshi barrier, a 3,406-kilometre (2,116 mi) fence of barbed wire and concrete just under 3 metres high, to prevent smuggling of narcotics. Out of this, 5000 kilometres of fencing was completed at the cost of ₹28.81 billion (US$430 million) by November 2007. The deadline for project completion was set to 2008–09[26] By October 2009, about 2649 kilometres of fencing along with about 3326 kilometres of border roads were completed. The deadline for project completion was revised to March 2010.[27] By March 2011, 2735 kilometres of fencing was completed and the deadline was revised to March 2012.[28]

Assam shares 263 km of border with Bangladesh out of which 143.9 km is land and 119.1 km is riverine. As of November 2011, 221.56 km of fencing was completed.[29]

Flood lights[edit]
India has completed the installation of flood lights for 277 kilometers in the West Bengal sector.[26]

Sometimes between 2001-2006 Bangladesh Border security troops (BDR) clashed with the Indian Border Security Force when the fence was built beyond the no man's land.[30]

See also[edit]
References[edit]
  1. Jump up^ "Border Management: Dilemma of Guarding the India-Bangladesh Border". IDSA. January 2004.
  2. Jump up^ "Parliament passes historic land accord bill to redraw border with Bangladesh - Times of India". Retrieved 17 November 2016.
  3. Jump up^ Read, Anthony; Fisher, David (1998). The Proudest Day: India's Long Road to Independence. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. p. 482. ISBN 9780393045949.
  4. Jump up^ "WordPress.com". Retrieved 17 November 2016.
  5. Jump up^ Adams, Brad (23 January 2011). "India's shoot-to-kill policy on the Bangladesh border". The Guardian. London.
  6. Jump up^ "India: New Killings, Torture at Bangladeshi Border". 24 July 2011. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
  7. Jump up^ "BSF jawan killed in ambush near Bangladesh border - Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis". 6 August 2010. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
  8. ^ Jump up to:a b [1], Channel 4 News, 24 July 2009
  9. Jump up^ "India/Bangladesh: Indiscriminate Killings, Abuse by Border Officers". Human Rights Watch. Archived from the original on 21 January 2011. Retrieved 21 January 2011.
  10. Jump up^ Staff Correspondent (24 April 2005). "Border tension flares as BSF kills 2 more". The Daily Star. Retrieved 19 April 2007.
  11. Jump up^ India says 59 killed over last six months on Bangladesh border, Reuters, 24 August 2008.
  12. Jump up^ "BSF abducts 5 children from border". The Daily Star. 24 July 2010. Archived from the original on 26 July 2010. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
  13. Jump up^ "15 Years Innocent Bangladeshi Girl Felani Killed by Aggressive Indian Border Security Force (BSF)". Retrieved 17 November 2016.
  14. Jump up^ "The Constitution (119th Amendment) Bill, 2013" PRS India. Accessed 10 May 2015.[2]
  15. Jump up^ India (2 December 2014). "Everything you need to know: Land swap in offing with Bangladesh to end disputes". The Indian Express. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  16. Jump up^ Sougata Mukhopadhyay (7 September 2011). "India-Bangladesh sign pact on border demarcation". CNN-IBN. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  17. Jump up^ Special Correspondent (7 May 2015). "Parliament passes historic land accord bill to redraw border with Bangladesh". The Times Of India. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  18. Jump up^ MANOJ ANAND (8 May 2015). "Bangladesh land swap deal: AGP calls bandh, says PM Modi betrayed people". The Asian Age. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  19. Jump up^ Shubhajit Roy (2 December 2014). "Everything you need to know: Land swap in offing with Bangladesh to end disputes". Indian Express. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  20. Jump up^ Special correspondent (6 May 2015). "Meghalaya groups flay land-swap deal". Calcutta Telegraph. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  21. Jump up^ "Stateless misery on India-Bangladesh border", BBC, 5 September 2011
  22. Jump up^ "Bangladesh, India to swap 162 land parcels", AFP, 1 September 2011
  23. Jump up^ "UN tribunal puts an end to 40-year-old India-Bangladesh maritime dispute". RT Op-Edge. 16 July 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  24. Jump up^ "Kolkata-Dhaka Moitree Express flagged off". The Times of India. Times Internet Limited. 14 April 2008. Retrieved 21 April 2008.
  25. Jump up^ Malhotra, Jyoti (18 June 1999). "Bus maps the route to better Indo-Bangla ties". The Indian Express. Retrieved 21 April 2008.
  26. ^ Jump up to:a b c "Centre has fenced 3406 km along Indo-Bangladesh border". Thaindian news. 27 November 2007.
  27. ^ Jump up to:a b "Indo-Bangla border fencing to be completed by March 2010". Zee News. 9 October 2009. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  28. ^ Jump up to:a b "Bangla border fence deadline extended". The Assam Tribune. 17 March 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  29. Jump up^ "Fencing along India-Bangladesh Border". Ministry of Home Affairs,Govt of India. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  30. Jump up^ "India-Bangladesh News from India". India Monitor. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 11 July 2007.
External links[edit]
 
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http://indianexpress.com/article/in...order-fencing-work-to-finish-by-2017-2875548/

Indo-Bangla border fencing work to finish by 2017

India has 4096 km border with Bangladesh and Tripura.

By: PTI | Agartala | Published:June 25, 2016 6:10 pm
border-police-l.jpg
Gate No 4 at the Indo-Bangla border. (Source: Express photo by Partha Paul)
Work for erection of barbed wire fencing along the Indo-Bangla International Border (IB) would be completed by 2017, a top official said on Saturday.

“India has set a target of finishing the barbed wire fencing along the Indo-Bangla international border by 2017,” Susheel Kuman, Secretary Border Management under the Union Home Ministry said.

Kumar, who arrived here on a three-day tour yesterday, is now visiting the barbed wire construction works in different parts of Tripura border with Bangladesh.

He reviewed the progress of the fencing works in a meeting with officials of the state government, including the Chief Secretary Y P Singh, DGP, K Nagraj, District Magistrates and all the implementing agencies and BSF yesterday.

Kumar said this issue was discussed with all the bordering state governments including West Bengal, Assam and Meghalaya earlier.

“Wherever fencing is required, it would be constructed and where riverine stretches are present, no fencing would be constructed because it worked as natural barrier,” he said.

Kumar said local problems would be sorted out through discussions and where fencing is required on the zero point of the border would be taken up with the Bangladesh government and the matters would be sorted out through negotiation.”

India constructed border fencing 100 yards away from the international border leaving a large tract of agricultural and homestead land outside the fencing to adhere to Border Management agreement signed in 1975.

India has 4096 km border with Bangladesh and Tripura which is girded by the neighbouring countries in three sides, has 856 km long border.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/india/india-bangladesh-fence.htm

India-Bangladesh Border Fence

india-bangladesh-border-fence-1.jpg
Many parts of the world are virtually borderless, and India has opted not to fence its 1,800-km long border with Nepal and the 4,057 km border with China –— the contentious Line of Actual Control — lies unfenced too. The borders with Bhutan and Myanmar also lie open.

In the early 1980s thousands of Bangladeshis illegally moved to neighboring Indian states in search of land and employment. By 1982 the steady influx of Bangla speakers sparked a major ethnic backlash in the Indian state of Assam, leading to the slaughter of thousands of non-Assamese.

In order to placate Assamese public opinion, the governments of Indira and Rajiv Gandhi promised to stem illegal immigration, and in order to do so began constructtion of a barbed-wire fencing along the Indo-Bangladeshi border in the area. In the mid- and late 1980s. India's plan to erect a fence to prevent cross-border migration from Bangladesh and Bangladesh's desire that Chakma insurgents not receive Indian covert assistance and refuge in India were major irritants in bilateral relations.

By 2012 India was constructing a 4,000-kilometer fence to seal the India-Bangladesh international border. The fence is intended to curb infiltration, movement of militants and enhance management on the India-Bangladesh border. The border fencing by India, to prevent smuggling of humans, cattle, drugs and arms, has been a prickly issue in bilateral relations. The fence was seen as an outrage among the Bangladeshi public, and the government of Bangladesh has made repeated protests to the Indian government over the matter.

The Indian side of the Indo-Bangladesh border passes through West Bengal (2216.7 Km), Assam (263 Km), Meghalaya (443 Km), Tripura (856 Km) and Mizoram (318 Km). The entire stretch consists of plain, riverine, hilly/jungle and with hardly any natural obstacles. The area is heavily populated, and the cultivation is carried out till the last inch of the border.

The Indo-Bangladesh border is marked by a high degree of porosity and checking illegal cross border activities has been a challenging proposition. The main problem is of illegal migration from Bangladesh into India. In order to prevent illegal immigration and other anti-national activities from across the border, the Government of India had sanctioned the construction of border roads and fencing in two phases.

In the mid- and late 1980s, India's plan to erect a fence to prevent cross-border migration from Bangladesh and Bangladesh's desire that Chakma insurgents not receive Indian covert assistance and refuge in India were major irritants in bilateral relations. As agreed eighteen years earlier, in June 1992 India granted a perpetual lease to Bangladesh for the narrow, 1.5-hectare Tin Bigha corridor in the Ganga's delta that had long separated an enclave of Bangladeshis from their homeland. The two countries signed new agreements to enhance economic cooperation. Bangladesh also received Indian developmental assistance, but that aid was minor compared with the amounts India granted to Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and Maldives.

The total length of Indo-Bangladesh border to be fenced is 3286.87 Km out of which 2535.80 Km of fencing had been completed by 2008, at which time the work of construction of fencing in approximately 751 Km was under implementation. Out of this, work of construction of fencing in 296 Km in Mizoram sector, where the work started only in 2005, would be completed during the year 2007-08. Fencing had not been undertaken in remaining length on account of non-feasibility, riverine/low lying areas, population within 150 yards of the border, pending land acquisition cases. An additional length of 120 Km in Tripura, which was not originally sanctioned to be part of Phase-II, was also taken up during the year 2007-08. In addition, 3250.60 Km of border roads had also been constructed out of sanctioned length of 3663 Km as on 31st December, 2007.

Over 277 Km of floodlighting had been completed in West Bengal as a pilot project. Government decided to undertake floodlighting in 2840 Km along the entire length of Indo-Bangladesh border, in the stretches where the fencing had been erected, at an estimate cost of Rs.1327.00 crore. The floodlighting workso commenced during the year 2007-08 and would be completed by the year 2011-12. The Government of India decided to replace the entire 861 Km of fence constructed under Phase-I in West Bengal, Assam and Meghalaya, as most of this fence has been damaged due to adverse climatic conditions, repeated submergence etc. The replacement work has already commenced in the States of Assam and West Bengal. Some 193.70 Km of fencing had been replaced by 2008.

With a towering razor-wire fence and heavily armed Indian Border Security Forces (BSF) guards who kill around 200 people every year, the fence along the India-Bangladesh border is ominous and sometimes dangerous. The fence, which snakes through paddy fields about 150 yards inside India’s notoriously porous border with Bangladesh, has torn apart the lives of tens of thousands of people, cutting them off from family, friends, jobs and schools.

Bangladeshi official say the Indian plan to build more fencing will not stop illegal cattle trading. Major Mahmudul Hasan of the Bangladesh Rifles said "Most of the killings are related to illegal cattle trading. If it was legal to trade cattle the killings will stop." He said the fencing would not reduce the deaths because cattle traders simply cut through it. In majority Hindu India, cows are considered sacred and beef is not eaten but in Muslim Bangladesh, beef is a staple and the price is much higher.

Work under phase-I of the Indo-Bangla fencing project started in 1989 and fencing was done in 854 km against the approved target of 857 km. The phase-II involved 2429 km of the total 4,096 km long border. By early 2007 the fence spanned about half of the 4,100-km India-Bangladesh border. Since construction of the barrier began in 2003, tens of thousands of people in at least 200 villages were in geographical limbo - living in India, but on the wrong side of the border fence and thus with easier access to Bangladesh. They live inside a corridor the width of an airport runway, between the Bangladeshi border and the new fence.

Phase-III was in Assam's Dhubri district. Around 364 km of the fencing that was constructed as part of phase-I of the project was replaced so far as the old fencing had become outdated and damaged at several portions. About 861 km of fencing constructed under Phase-I was replaced by March 31, 2010. By late 2010 India had fenced 3,300km of the border beyond the 150 yard zone within its own territory in line with the boundary agreement. India decided to floodlight the entire border fence.

Bangladesh shares a 4,098 km border with India. The people of north-east India are closer to Bangladesh than to those in the Indian mainland-irrespective of their geography, history, culture and language. The economic isolation of over 200 million people encourages illicit trade, fuels terrorism and increases tensions along the border. Yet they could have been natural trading partners, exploiting the comparative advantages of their respective regions.

Tripura, a knobble of land protruding south into Bangladesh, is home to native tribals and Bengalis. Attacks on Bengalis in northern Tripura have caused displacement - there are thought now to be 50,000 to 100,000 IDPs. Another major cause of displacement was the building by India of a fence along the border with Bangladesh, during which tens of thousands of people were evicted from their homes.

The Chhit-Mahals or enclaves are outlying and detached tracks of land situated inside Rangpur district of Bangladesh. Similarly, there are Bangladeshi Chhit-Mahals located inside Cooch Behar district. There are 111 Indian Chhit-Mahals located in Bangladesh having 17158.13 acres of land with an approximate population of 1,50,000 where as there are 51 Bangladeshi Chhit-Mahals located inside the Indian Territory having 7110.02 acres of land. The given details of enclaves were jointly compared and reconciled with records held by India and Bangladesh during the Indo-Bangladesh Boundary Conference held at Kolkata from 9th to 12th October, 1996 as well as during filed inspection at Jalpaiguri (West Bengal) - Pachagarh (Bangladesh Sector) from 21st to 24th November, 1996.

There is no other intriguing fact about these Chhit-Mahals but at certain places there are enclaves within enclaves. In certain cases the parent enclave belongs to Cooch Behar district (India) and the enclaves located inside belongs to Bangladesh. A land border agreement was signed by India and Bangladesh on 16th May, 1974 which provides, among other things, for exchange of enclaves between the two countries at a future date. However, the said agreement is yet to be ratified by the two Governments before it comes into operation. It is very difficult to segregate the Chhit dwellers as there are no clearly demarcated boundaries. Although there is no concrete historical evidence behind the origin of these Chhits, it is believed that the kings of both sides ceded these pieces of land to each other during games of Chess.

Since these Chhit-Mahals are located in India as well as Bangladesh, the access to these places is being controlled by the respective country, although the sovereignty over the territory lies with the respective country. Due to the problem of their geographical location, people in these areas are unable to enjoy their basic, political, economic, social and cultural rights as being enjoyed by the other ordinary citizens of the respective countries. The in-accessibility to these areas as well as the free movement to the respective main land have made their life absolutely miserable. The people residing in these Chhit-Mahals are unable to have basic human rights being enjoyed by the people in their respective countries. They do not have access to health or basic education facilities, electricity, clean drinking water and decent livelihood. The economic condition of these people is very bad and they are living in abject poverty. It has been estimated that average income of the Chhit dwellers is less than Rs.17 per day.

The people residing in these areas are unable to exercise their basic political rights. The Indian citizens who live in the Bangladeshi Chhits have never been included in the census and have almost no proof of their being Indian citizens. The same is the condition of the Bangladeshi Chhits. To sum up it can be said that the people residing in these areas are deprived of their basic human rights because of no faults of them, as well as because of the fact that there is no administrative machinery to look after their interest. The people of these Chhit-Mahals are dependent on the nearby markets, yet they are illegal aliens when they try to approach them. They can access any facility only through surreptitious means, always with a fear of getting caught. There is a state of lawlessness and in certain cases these Chhit-Mahals have reportedly become the dens of criminals and anti-social elements.

Since there is no free access to the administration of the respective countries in these Chhit-Mahals, the last solution would lie in the immediate reciprocal exchange of Indian and Bangladesh enclaves to solve the problems of the people residing in these areas. An organisation styled "Association For Citizens Rights for Indian Chhit-Mahals and Oustees" was formed sometimes ago and became active in highlighting the problems of the residents of Indian enclaves and demanding immediate reciprocal exchange of the Chhit-Mahals between India and Bangladesh. Except for Dahagram-Angarpota Chhit-Mahals to which Bangladesh has access through the Tinbigha corridor, none of the Chhits have access to their motherland.

By early 2009 India began seeking to erect such fences within 150 yards of the zero line at 46 places. At that time only 91 km border had been fenced and work was in progress on 129 km of the 577-km Bangladesh border in Assam and Meghalaya, a portion seen as the most infiltration prone. There were 11 battalions deployed along the international border in Assam and Meghalaya.

On August 4, 2009, the Minister of State in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, Mullappally Ramachandran, provided data on the fencing work along the India-Bangladesh border in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament). Government has sanctioned fencing over 3436 km. along Indo-Bangladesh border in phased projects. Up to March 2009, a total of 2650 km. of fencing has been erected. The single row type of fencing erected under Phase - I project is being replaced by the composite multiple row type concertina fencing with the improved design and higher specifications. About 861 km of fencing has been sanctioned for replacement, out of which 367 km has already been replaced up to March 2009. The quality of construction is ensured by the mechanism of Third Party Inspection. There are many non-feasible and problematic stretches like riverine, low-lying and water-logged areas, hilly terrains, villages and population till International border (zero-line) and 150 yards problem with Bangladesh. These issues have to be resolved before fencing. There are institutional mechanisms to address these problems. Technical options are also being explored to cover the riverine and other difficult areas. All out efforts are being made to complete the sanctioned fencing works.

Dhaka agreed in principle to allow border fencing within 150 yards from the zero line between India and Bangladesh, provided it is necessitated by “humanitarian concerns and geographical realities”. The in-principle agreement was reached during the home secretary-level talks held in December 2009 to allow fencing closer to the zero line on certain patches. “Given that there are patches on the border where population extends right up to the zero line, the last home secretary-level talks had decided that fencing can come closer to the border on human considerations and due to geographical realities. This has already been approved at the home ministry level,” BSF director-general Raman Srivastava said.

According to Bangladesh’s border guard chief, Maj Gen Rafiqul Islam: “As we have agreed to the Indian proposal, India is also reciprocating by allowing Bangladesh to construct a bridge in Laxmipur, expansion of a wall in Hili, construction of approach roads in Moulvibazar and Bhomra, and several other initiatives. ... Our mutual agreement has created a very positive environment. Both countries are now willing to resolve long standing minor issues.”

Joint Communiqué issued on the occasion of the visit to India of Her Excellency Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh on January 12, 2010 stated "Welcoming the Home Secretary level talks held in New Delhi in December 2009, the two Prime Ministers directed their respective Ministries and agencies to cooperate closely and implement all decisions taken during the talks. While recognizing the need to check cross border crimes, both Prime Ministers agreed that the respective border guarding forces exercise restraint and underscored the importance of regular meetings between the border guarding forces to curtail illegal cross border activities and prevent loss of lives. "

By mid-2010 Bangladesh and India had begun setting up fences within 150 yards of the zero line along the international border. The exercise marked a deviation from the Indo-Bangladesh Boundary Agreement 1974 that restricted any construction within 150 yards of the zero line. In addressing the needs of both countries, the move was seen by some as marking a “thawing of thorny border ties”. Bangladesh allowed India to erect fences at a dozen new places and India allowed Bangladesh to construct structures within 150 yards of the zero line at 11 points.

On 25 August 2010, Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Shri Mullappally Ramachandran in written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha provided data on money allotted for Border Roads. The Ministry of Home Affairs has undertaken the construction of border roads along border fencing in the States of West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram on IndoBangladesh border and in the State of Gujarat on Indo-Pakistan border. Construction of 27 roads for providing connectivity to Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Border out Posts has been undertaken in the States of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh along Indo-China border. Financial allocations for these schemes are made on the basis of physical progress and fund requirements of the construction agencies. Against the total sanctioned length of 4426 Km of border roads along Bangladesh border, construction of 3361 of roads has been completed leaving construction of balance 1065 Km of roads. By late 2010, construction of about 250 Km roads was under progress.

On 30 November 2011 Shri Mullappally Ramachandran, Minister of State of Home Affairs, reported that Govt. had sanctioned 230.03 km border fence in Assam out of which 221.56 km had been completed. Assam has 263 km of international border with Bangladesh out of which 143.9 km is land border and 119.1 km of reverine border. As per mutual understanding, no construction of fencing is generally undertaken within 150 yards of Indo-Bangladesh Border. Moreover, border fencing has been erected after due consideration of terrain constraints in the area i.e. availability of the land, presence of nullah/river, villages, etc. and concerns of local population. Further, gates are also provided through the fencing to facilitate access of villager to their lands beyond fencing. Besides, Border Guarding Force also maintains strict surveillance and vigil to ensure that no encroachment takes place.

In March 2012 Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma Thursday regretted that the international border in India's northeastern states was not manned as efficiently as in the western states. 'The northeastern border has not been as stringently manned unlike the western sector, so we have requested the home ministry to ask the BSF (Border Security Force) to intensify their patrol on the border,' Sangma told reporters after a review meeting with Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Mullappally Ramachandran. 'We are trying to fence the international border to the best of our abilities,' Ramachandran said.

On 12 March 2013 Shri Mullappally Ramachandran, Minister of State of Home Affairs, reported that, in order to control the illegal infiltration, Government had taken steps for strengthening of the Border Security Force and equipping them with modern equipments, reduction of gaps between the border posts and intensified patrolling along Indo-Bangladesh border. The border fence along the Bangladesh border was being strengthened and a scheme for flood lighting along the border is being implemented. The issue of illegal migrants from Bangladesh is regularly taken up at various fora and steps hade been taken for coordinated patrolling, identification of vulnerable gaps, strengthening of riverine patrolling etc. Government of Bangladesh has also been urged to take effective steps to check the illegal movement of their nationals into India, especially through vulnerable and riverine areas. The strengthening of security and erection of fencing along Indo-Bangladesh border helped in curbing illegal migration from Bangladesh to India effectively.

In a December 17, 2014 judgment, the Supreme Court directed the Centre to build motorable roads alongside the international border and install floodlights to prevent incursion and cross-border trafficking. It noted that the estimated number of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in India as on December 31, 2001 was 1.2 crore [ie, 120,000]. The court said it would monitor the progress made by the Centre.

The Supreme Court on 13 May 2015 accused the Centre and the Assam government of “dragging its feet” on fortifying the country’s “porous” eastern border with Bangladesh despite its judgment in 2014 that security chinks along the border are posing a threat to the lives of ordinary citizens. The judgment questioned the government’s resolve to secure the eastern border even after 67 years of Independence. “The western border with Pakistan, being 3,300-km-long, is not only properly fenced but properly manned too and not porous at any point,” the court said. The ruling came on a batch of petitions filed by NGOs — Assam Sanmilita Mahasangha, Assam Public Works and All Assam Ahom Association — contending that large influx of people from Bangladesh led to clashes in border areas.

On June 07, 2015 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sealed a landmark agreement with Bangladesh to exchange tiny enclaves where thousands of people from both countries have been trapped for decades. About 50,000 people have been living in miserable conditions in the more than 160 enclaves for decades. Now each country will administer the enclaves in its territory and their residents will be allowed to choose where they want to live. This will enable them to gain legal access to public services such as schools and hospitals for the first time. The land boundary agreement solves a problem that has lingered on since colonial days. After signing the pact in Dhaka Saturday, Prime Minister Modi compared the agreement with the dismantling of the Berlin wall.

On August 01, 2015 Indians and Bangladeshis celebrated the end of a 68-year state of limbo for tens of thousands of people living along the porous border joining the two nations. At midnight Friday, local time, India and Bangladesh exchanged more than 150 islands of territory – Bangladeshi territory in India, and Indian territory in Bangladesh – isolated since independence from British colonial rule in 1947.

Residents were granted citizenship in the country of their choice – giving them legal access to schools, medical services and public facilities for the first time. The inhabitants – about 37,330 in Indian enclaves and 14,200 in Bangladeshi enclaves – were deprived of public services because they had no defined citizenship.

Assam shares only 263 kms of the 4096-km international boundary between India and Bangladesh, but by 2016 construction of the barbed wire fence along it has remained incomplete due to various reasons. One of the most important reasons is that a little over 44 kms of the boundary passes through the Brahmaputra river. Post floods, the river changes course every year, making it near impossible to erect a permanent boundary. Union home minister Rajnath Singh announced in Karimganj said on 04 Janury 2016 that the fence would be completed by the end of 2016. “The border fence will be completed within this year. There will be no dearth of funds for this. Moreover, certain gaps that exist in the already installed fence will also be filled up soon,” Sing said.

In May 2016 the BJP's election campaign in Assam focused on ending illegal immigration from Bangladesh through a porous border and demographic fault lines in border areas. The voters said they wanted change or "Poribortan" - which yielded good results for the party, which ended 15 years of Congress rule in the state. The newly elected Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal promised that his government would permanently seal the state's 262-km-long border with Bangladesh. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had said that the borders with the eastern neighbour would be sealed within two year's time to put an end to infiltration.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh during a review meeting on 02 June 2016 Thursday order that the border with Bangladesh in Assam be sealed. According to Ministry of Home Affairs, the 223.7-kilometer fence had been constructed to seal the Indo-Bangladesh Border. But there were 122 locations spread across 60.7 kilometers without any physical barrier. Hence, it was decided that 100 locations covering 11.9 kilometers would have physical barrier i.e. fence and 22 locations covering 48.8 kilometres of riverine areas would have non-physical barriers including technological barriers which would completely seal the border. This would be achieved by June 2017. Talk of sealing the border left many confused, since the border fence is 100 meters inside the actual boundary or Zero Point, and many people have farmland across the fence.

Indian-Border-Security-Fo-007.jpg


Guardian-India's shoot-to-kill policy on the Bangladesh border

An Indian border guard standing alert as a farmer leads her cow alongside fencing marking the India-Bangladesh border in the village of Jaypur, west of Agartala.
Brad Adams
Guardian.co.uk

Do good fences make good neighbours? Not along the India-Bangladesh border. Here, India has almost finished building a 2,000km fence. Where once people on both sides were part of a greater Bengal, now India has put up a "keep out" sign to stop illegal immigration, smuggling and infiltration by anti-government militants.

This might seem unexceptional in a world increasingly hostile to migration. But to police the border, India's Border Security Force (BSF), has carried out a shoot-to-kill policy – even on unarmed local villagers. The toll has been huge. Over the past 10 years Indian security forces have killed almost 1,000 people, mostly Bangladeshis, turning the border area into a south Asian killing fields. No one has been prosecuted for any of these killings, in spite of evidence in many cases that makes it clear the killings were in cold blood against unarmed and defenceless local residents.

Shockingly, some Indian officials endorse shooting people who attempt to cross the border illegally, even if they are unarmed. Almost as shocking is the lack of interest in these killings by foreign governments who claim to be concerned with human rights. A single killing by US law enforcement along the Mexican border makes headlines. The killing of large numbers of villagers by Indian forces has been almost entirely ignored.

The violence is routine and arbitrary. Alauddin Biswas described to Human Rights Watch the killing of his 24-year-old nephew, who was suspected of cattle rustling, by Indian border guards in March 2010. "The BSF had shot him while he was lying on his back. They shot him in the forehead. If he was running away, he would have been shot in the back. They just killed him." The BSF claimed self-defence, but no weapons were recovered.

Nazrul Islam, a Bangladeshi, was luckier. "At around 3am we decided to cross the Indian border," he said. He was headed to India to smuggle cows back to Bangladesh. "As soon as the BSF saw us, they started firing without warning." Islam was shot in his arm, but survived.

Some of the victims have been children. One father recounted how his sons were beaten by BSF officers. "The BSF personnel surrounded the boys and without giving any reason started beating them with rifle *****, kicking and slapping them. There were nine soldiers, and they beat my sons mercilessly. Even as the boys fell down, the BSF men continued to kick them ruthlessly on their chest and other sensitive organs."

The border has long been crossed routinely by local people for trade and commerce. It is also crossed by relatives and friends separated by a line arbitrarily drawn by the British during partition in 1947. As with the Mexican border in the United States, the border has become an emotive issue in Indian politics, as millions of Bangladeshis now live in India illegally. Many are exploited as cheap labour.

India has the right to impose border controls. But India does not have the right to use lethal force except where strictly necessary to protect life. Yet some Indian officials openly admit that unarmed civilians are being killed. The head of the BSF, Raman Srivastava, says that people should not feel sorry for the victims, claiming that since these individuals were illegally entering Indian territory, often at night, they were "not innocent" and therefore were a legitimate target.

Though India is a state with functional courts, he apparently believes the BSF can act as judge, jury and executioner. This approach also ignores the many victims, such as a 13-year-old named Abdur Rakib, who broke no law and was killed simply because he was near the fence. Sadly, Bangladeshi border officials have also suggested that such killings are acceptable if the victim was engaged in smuggling.

As the recent WikiLeaks report about endemic torture in Kashmir underscores, Indian soldiers and police routinely commit human rights violations without any consequences. Permission has to be granted by a senior Indian official for the police to even begin an investigation into a crime committed by a member of the security forces, such as the BSF. This rarely happens.

The response of various government officials to allegations of a shoot-to-kill policy has been confusing: we do shoot illegal border crossers since they are lawbreakers; we don't shoot border crossers; we only shoot in self-defence; we never shoot to kill.

But there is some reason for hope. Under pressure, senior Indian officials have expressed revulsion at the behaviour of the BSF and have promised to send new orders to end the shoot-to-kill policy. They have committed to use nonviolent means to apprehend illegal border crossers or smugglers where they pose no risk to life. The question is whether this will be translated into action on the ground. Similar promises of "zero tolerance" for abuses have been made in Kashmir and elsewhere but have not been fulfilled.

As India's economy has grown and foreign investors have flocked in, its human rights record has largely flown under the radar in recent years. But India is a growing world power with increasing influence. It should understand that its behaviour will come under increasing scrutiny. Routinely shooting poor, unarmed villagers is not how the world's largest democracy should behave.

Source: https://defence.pk/threads/guardian...on-the-bangladesh-border.90294/#ixzz4SmRcuErP

05:13 PM, November 19, 2016 / LAST MODIFIED: 05:16 PM, November 19, 2016
Bringing border killing to zero level possible: BSF


bsf-wb.jpg

File photo showing Indian Border Security Force (BSF) patrolling India-Bangladesh border.

UNB, Dhaka
http://www.thedailystar.net/country/bringing-border-killing-zero-level-possible-bsf-1317220

Indian Border Security Force (BSF) has taken initiatives to sensitise its members to reduce the killing of civilians along the India-Bangladesh border as it is possible to bring it down to a zero level.

“We’re trying to educate our members so that such incidents can be avoided,” said PSR Anjaneyulu, Inspector General (IG) of BSF’s South Bengal Frontier, while exchanging views with a group of Bangladeshi journalists at its Kolkata headquarters last week.

Replying to a question, Anjaneyulu said the offenders, in some cases, force the BSF members to fire. “They (offenders) sometimes attack BSF members from a so close range the latter is compelled to fire,” he said.

According to official statistics of the BSF South Bengal Frontier headquarters, two BSF members were killed and 72 others injured in 2013, 99 injured in 2014, three killed and 62 others injured in 2015, and 39 injured till November 12 this year.

On April 25, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal informed Parliament that at least 146 Bangladeshi citizens were killed by Indian BSF and Indian civilians along the border since 2012.

Of them, 109 were killed by BSF, while 37 by Indian citizens. Of the killings, 34 were recorded in 2012, 28 in 2013, 40 in 2014, 39 in 2015 and five persons till April 18, 2016.

Briefing reporters at the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) headquarters in Dhaka on October 7 last, then director general Maj Gen Aziz Ahmed said a total of 26 Bangladeshi nationals were killed in border areas this year as of September and 22 of them were killed by the BSF. He also regretted as he failed to reduce the border killing to a zero level during his 4-year tenure.

When his attention was drawn about the Home Minister and former BGB DG’s remarks, the IG of BSF South Bengal Frontiers said, “Serious directives from our ministry and our senior officers as well as my direction to BSF members - please ensure there’s no causality.”

“Unfortunately, some incidents of casualties happened. We want to bring it down. I’m very sure it’ll come down to a zero level. If you want to know when, it’s not possible to giver time frame… but it’s possible to bring it down to a zero level,” PSR Anjaneyulu said.

About firing by BSF, he said his members do not fire unless they are attacked by miscreants from very close distance. “We always instruct them not to fire. Firing is the last stage,” the IG added.

When asked whether they have any statistics about incidents of killing or injury of Indian nationals by BGB firing, the IG BSF replied negative saying that they have no information in this regard.

BSF fired gun shots 15 times in 2013, 32 in 2014, 86 in 2016 and 91 times till 10 November this year, while it used non-lethal weapons 188 times in 2013, 568 times in 2014, 871 times in 2015 and 673 times till November 10 this year, according to the official statistics of BSF South Bengal Frontier headquarters.

Asked whether the number of criminal activities are increased in frontiers as the use of both lethal and non-lethal weapons have increased, the IG replied the negative saying that most of times BSF use both lethal and non-lethal weapons to warn miscreants.

Sought comments about the recent seizure of contraband sex stimulating Yaba tablets by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) from Indo-Bangladesh border, he said he is not aware about it.

Earlier, a power-point presentation was made at the view-exchange meeting, where it was shown that BSF detained 5,028 Bangladeshis and 1,724 Indians from the frontiers in 2015 and 2,517 Bangladeshis and 1,030 Indian nationals as of November 10 this year. Among them, 1,277 Bangladeshi national were handed over to BGB in 2015 while 4,245 till 10 November this year.

Meanwhile, Indian BSF took the journalists to riverine BOPs and Floating BOPs of the Sundarbans under Hasnabad BSF battalion 160 where the visiting Bangladeshi journalists were briefed about border activities in Sector Kolkata.

The media people were also taken to Panitar BSF battalion 144 to make them familiar with practical difficulties faced by BSF and the role they play in effective management of border in the area.

Stop Border Killing: A Documentary about the India-Bangladesh border. PART 1


Stop Border Killing: A Documentary about the India-Bangladesh border. PART 2


India/Bangladesh - The world's worst border

Jay Foreman



Published on Jul 8, 2016
JAY FOREMAN and MARK COOPER-JONES are Map Men.

The border between India and Bangladesh is extremely messy and complicated. Why is this? And what's it like living there? (Until last year when they fixed it)

Catch Mark's Edinburgh Festival show 'Mark Cooper-Jones: Geographically Speaking' throughout August. Stand-up comedy from a man obsessed with maps and geography... oh, and it's free.

Catch Jay performing 'Disgusting Songs for Revolting Children' at the Henley Festival on Sun 10th July, and at the Arcola Theatre, Hackney on Sat 6th July. www.jayforeman.co.uk

Written and presented by
JAY FOREMAN and MARK COOPER-JONES

Edited by
JAY FOREMAN

Directed by
PAUL KENDLER

Cameras and sound by
JESS LAMB
ROBIN KAY
MATT WARD
EMMA LANGLEY

BSF Firing on Bangladesh Border


Why BSF Kills only in Bangladesh Border, Not in Pakistan or China Border

 
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Border killing matter of grave concern: PM
Online Desk | Update: 12:18, Dec 20, 2016

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said the ‘incidents of death’ of innocent Bangladeshis along the border are a matter of grave concern.

“The death incidents of innocent Bangladeshis along the border areas are the matter of grave concern to us,” she said, reports news agency UNB.

The prime minister made the remark while addressing a parade marking the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Day 2016 at its headquarters at Peelkhana in the city.


She also appreciated the role of BGB personnel in recent years to reduce the number of death incidents through strengthening friendly relations with Indian BSF.

“The death incidents in border areas have come down to a great extent in recent years due to your efforts for strengthening friendly relations with the BSF,” she said.

The prime minister also remembered the Peelkhana carnage that took place on February 25-26, 2009, saying, “We had to face abominable and instable situation like the mutiny and killings at that time,” she said.

She also noted that the government faced all the conspiracies of the conspirators behind the BDR mutiny with patience and carefulness.

“The farsighted steps that we had taken to bring discipline in the force now acclaimed internationally,” she said.

In this connection, she thanked the BGB personnel to extend cooperation to overcome that crisis.

“For your cooperation, the nation today is advancing on the path of development overcoming that crisis,” she said.
 
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0:39 AM, November 15, 2017 / LAST MODIFIED: 10:56 AM, November 15, 2017
BSF kills Bangladeshi on Lalmonirhat border
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A Bangladeshi youth was shot dead by Indian Border Security Force (BSF) along Burimari border in Patgram upazila of Lalmonirhat on Wednesday, November 15, 2017. This AP file photo shows BSF members patrolling at the India-Bangladesh border in Fulbari, about 25 kilometre from Siliguri. AP file photo
Star Online Report
A Bangladeshi youth was shot dead by Indian Border Security Force (BSF) along Burimari border in Patgram upazila of Lalmonirhat early today.
The deceased is Faridul Islam Farid, 21, son of Shamsul Islam at Ambari village of Burimari border, reports our Lalmonirhat correspondent.

Sources at Border Guard Bangladesh of Burimari camp said a BSF patrol team of Bari camp opened fire when Farid crossed into India to bring Indian cattle around 4:30am.

Confirming the incident, Acting Commanding Officer of Rangpur 61 BGB Battalion Major Mohammad Hasan said a protest letter was sent to BSF with a call to hold a flag meeting in this regard.

BGB will get back the body, which was left on no-man's land, after the flag meeting, the BGB official said.
http://www.thedailystar.net/country...h-on-lalmonirhat-border-in-bangladesh-1491523
 
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09:41 PM, November 16, 2017 / LAST MODIFIED: 10:05 PM, November 16, 2017
ASK concerned over border killings
bsf-border_7.jpg

Ain O Salish Kendra expresses deep concern over recent killing of Bangladeshi citizens by Indian Border Security Force (BSF) along the Bangladesh-India border. AP file photo
Star Online Report
Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) today expressed deep concern over the recent killing of Bangladeshi citizens by Indian Border Security Force (BSF) along the Bangladesh-India border.
The use of lethal weapons by BSF has reached an alarming stage, ASK, in a statement said, adding that the Indian troops use both lethal and non-lethal weapons along the border.

Citing media reports, ASK claimed that 18 Bangladeshis were either tortured to death or shot dead by BSF between January and October this year.

Twenty-seven Bangladeshis were injured and 38 others abducted by BSF at that time, it says, adding that 13 persons were among the abductees returned home later.

“Most of the victims were unarmed farmers or cattle traders,” it adds.

On November 15, BSF members shot dead Bangladeshi citizen Farid Hossain Sharif, 22, along the Burimari border in Patgram upazila of Lalmonirhat district, ASK said.

Besides, three Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members were injured during an attack carried out by BSF members along Comilla border on November 13.

“Such incident along the border cannot be accepted,” it says.

In the statement, the rights group urged both Bangladesh and Indian government to take effective joint steps to put an end to border killing and torture.
Related Topics
border killings
http://www.thedailystar.net/world/s...sk-concerned-over-border-killings-bsf-1492306
 
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10:53 AM, November 28, 2017 / LAST MODIFIED: 11:10 AM, November 28, 2017
BSF kills Bangladeshi on Dinajpur border
Star Online Report
Border Security Force (BSF) of India gunned down a Bangladeshi national along Boroi border in Dinajpur Sadar upazila early today.

The deceased was identified as Mozaffar Hossain, 32, son of Abu Taher of village Ator in Sadar upazila, reports our Dinajpur correspondent.

Border Guard Bangladesh officials of 29 Phulbari Battalion said the man went to India for collecting Phensidyl. BSF shot him when he was returning.

The body was seen lying on a field till 10:00am when the report was filed.

Khandakar Saiful Islam, commanding officer of Phulbari 29 BGB Battalion, confirmed the incident.
http://www.thedailystar.net/country...-kills-bangladeshi-on-dinajpur-border-1497565
 
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