The Indian Border Security Force reportedly shot dead a 50-year-old Bangladeshi national near Jibannagar border area in Chuadanga on Friday night.
The deceased, Mizanur Rahman, son of Nabis Uddin, is a resident of Sheikhpara village under Sailkupa upazila in Jhenaidah district.
According to the victim family, Mizanur used to live in his father-in-law’s house at Benipur village in Jibannagar border area.
He left home on Tuesday morning and did not return home, the family said.
The family members informed Jibannagar police of the missing of Mizan, the police officials said on Saturday.
Quoting local people, Jibannagar police station officer-in-charge SM Zabid Hasan said that Mizanur used to trade in Indian cattle in the area.
He was also illegally smuggling people into India, Zabid added.
The police official also said that Mizanur along with his accomplices illegally went to Nonaganj border area in India with some people.
The BSF personnel opened fire on them while they were returning to Bangladesh that left Mizanur killed on the spot and his accomplices managed to flee the scene, said the official.
BSF members later dragged Mizanur’s body into Indian territory and kept it at the Krishnanagar Mahakuma Hospital morgue, the police officer said.
Jhenaidah Moheshpur BGB 58 battalion commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Masud Parvez said that they sent a formal letter to the BSF asking for more information in this regard.
The process of handing over the body to Bangladesh was under way, he added.
This shooting incident took place days after the Border Guard Bangladesh and the Border Security Force concluded border coordination conferences in Jashore and Chattogram with a renewed pledge to end border killings.
Both countries agreed to bring the killings on the international border to zero to respect the commitment agreed during a state visit to India by prime minister Sheikh Hasina on September 5–8, 2022. Bangladesh prime minister also met her Indian counterparts on September 8.
This was the third killing occurred since September 3.
At least 1,236 Bangladeshis were killed and 1,145 injured in the shooting by the Indian border force between 2000 and 2020, according to rights organisation Odhikar.
Rights body Ain O Salish Kendra data showed that 23 people were killed along the India-Bangladesh border between January 2021 and June 2022.
