The killing of innocent Bangladeshi citizens by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) at the border is extremely regrettable and constitutes a clear violation of human rights, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed told parliament on Wednesday.
Responding to a written question from ruling party MP Nilofar Chowdhury Monir, the home minister said the issue has been raised strongly at every BGB-BSF Director General-level border conference.
The home minister said that at bilateral meetings, Bangladesh has always strongly opposed the use of “lethal weapons” by BSF under the pretext of self-defence at the border.
Although no specific institutional agreement has yet been reached on financial compensation for families of those killed, indirect pressure has been applied at every level regarding accountability and compensation, he said.
Salahuddin Ahmed said that under Bangladesh’s continuous diplomatic and strategic pressure, the BSF has on multiple occasions committed to stopping the use of lethal weapons at the border and using “non-lethal weapons” instead.
The home minister further said the Bangladesh government and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) are working tirelessly to bring unpleasant border incidents down to zero, and diplomatic-level discussions are ongoing.
