It’s another day, another Border Security Force (BSF) killing on the India-Bangladesh border. But, let’s not act surprised, shall we? Felani Khatun and Swarna Das are just two names in an ever-growing list of casualties of BSF's "friendship bullets" -- because what screams "good neighbour" more than firing shots over a barbed wire fence at unarmed teenagers, right?
Once again, India -- a country that prides itself on being Bangladesh’s “best friend” and a self-proclaimed leader of non-violence -- manages to remind us that friends come in many shapes and forms. Some bring you gifts, and some bring you high-velocity bullets. And in this peculiar friendship, it seems Bangladesh is getting all the gifts, while India does all the giving.
“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” Sound familiar? In Animal Farm, George Orwell’s biting satire on power and corruption, the pigs twist a revolution to suit their needs, leading to this infamous phrase. Just swap the cows with innocent civilians, and Orwell’s words uncannily echo the absurd justification used by the Indian authorities. Yes, all lives should be equal on the border, but it seems the lives of cows are “more equal” than those of humans. You can cross into Bangladesh with your herd, but woe betide any Bangladeshi who dares to cross the fence in the opposite direction.
Let’s revisit the story with Felani Khatun. 15 year-old Felani was just trying to return to her home in Bangladesh with her father when, back in January 2011, she met an untimely death at the hands of BSF. The image of her body hanging from the barbed wire fence after being shot down made headlines around the world. Now, most of us would assume that this incident would lead to a hefty amount of soul-searching for the BSF and perhaps a few reforms in how they handle the border. After all, even stray dogs in cities get more consideration than Felani did. But, spoiler alert, it didn’t.
The BSF soldier responsible for killing Felani was tried, but not for long. After what one can only imagine was a gripping trial (if by “gripping,” we mean a staged courtroom drama where everyone already knows the outcome), the BSF decided that its own personnel were beyond reproach. The soldier was acquitted, because apparently shooting a teenage girl and leaving her dangling on a fence like yesterday’s laundry is something that just happens when you're “protecting” borders. Justice? Who needs that when you have a barbed wire fence and a rifle?
Fast forward to 2024, and it’s déjà vu all over again. This time it’s 16-year-old Swarna Das, a girl who dared to cross the border at Kulaura, Moulvibazar, only to be greeted by the friendly fire of our pals at the BSF. She was reportedly heading to meet her immigrant brother in Tripura, India, with her mother when BSF opened fire, leaving her dead on the spot. Just like that. Because clearly, if you’re a teenage girl on a border, you’re a clear and present danger to a heavily armed soldier.
What’s interesting is the excuse that’s given every time these killings occur. According to BSF officials, these actions are taken “in self-defence.” Now, for the average person, self-defence typically conjures up images of imminent threat -- maybe a knife, a gun, or even a raised fist. But for the BSF, the idea of "self-defence" is apparently a bit more … flexible. It seems a teenager with nothing but her dreams of seeing her brother across the border is a lethal threat to an armed guard in full battle gear.
But let's give the BSF some credit, shall we? They do know how to spin a story. In July 2022, former BSF Director General Pankaj Kumar Singh confidently labeled the Bangladeshi nationals killed at the border as "criminals." Yes, criminals! Because smuggling cattle apparently warrants the death penalty, no trial necessary. If you're wondering how a nation that prides itself on democracy and human rights can justify killing someone over smuggling a cow, well, the answer is simple: just call them a criminal. Case closed.
Of course, it gets even more absurd when we consider the logistics of cattle smuggling. As West Bengal-based rights activist Kirity Roy rightly pointed out, these cattle are brought from places like Haryana and Punjab -- well over 2,000 kilometres within Indian borders. Trucks, trains, and hordes of cows are apparently making this epic journey across India, but no one notices until they miraculously appear at the Bangladesh border. Right. It’s as if cows are teleported across India directly to the hands of Bangladeshi “criminals,” and the BSF is forced to take action. The real story? Corruption. The BSF allegedly only pulls the trigger when there’s a little dispute over who gets what share of the smuggling spoils.
The 1975 Joint India-Bangladesh Guidelines for border authorities and the 2011 India-Bangladesh Coordinated Border Management Plan clearly outline ways to prevent smuggling and handle border crossings without resorting to violence
Let’s not kid ourselves -- these border killings aren’t about stopping smuggling or protecting national security. They’re about power, plain and simple. India has the bigger stick, and they’re not afraid to swing it. But you know what’s curious? This stick-swinging attitude only seems to apply when Bangladesh is on the other side of the fence. On their borders with China or Pakistan -- where tensions are much higher, to put it mildly -- the BSF’s trigger fingers seem to miraculously freeze. Isn't it funny how border management changes depending on who's standing across the line?
If you look at the numbers, the scale of this injustice becomes even clearer. According to Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK), 31 Bangladeshis were killed by BSF in 2023 alone, with 28 of those being shot dead. Between 2009 and 2020, at least 522 Bangladeshis were killed. Yes, you read that right -- 522 lives taken because of a few feet of land and the whims of a trigger-happy force. That’s more than the population of some villages, wiped out in a decade.
What does international law have to say about all this? Quite a bit, actually. But the BSF seems to have missed that memo. The 1975 Joint India-Bangladesh Guidelines for border authorities and the 2011 India-Bangladesh Coordinated Border Management Plan clearly outline ways to prevent smuggling and handle border crossings without resorting to violence. You know, little things like making arrests and prosecuting offenders, rather than blowing them away. But alas, these agreements might as well be gathering dust in some obscure office, because nobody’s following them.
Instead, Human Rights Watch reports that BSF personnel are busy using excessive force, torturing detainees, and shooting unarmed civilians. Many victims were shot in the back, suggesting they were fleeing -- hardly the behaviour of someone posing an imminent threat. But hey, why let pesky facts get in the way of a good excuse?
Let’s not forget the most egregious part of all this. While Bangladeshis are being gunned down, the past Bangladeshi governments have sat back and watched, occasionally throwing a mild protest into the wind like a teenager reluctantly doing chores. No firm stance, no demands for justice, no attempts to hold India accountable on the international stage. Instead, it’s all “business as usual.” It’s as if these lives don’t matter, as long as the trade deals and diplomatic relations remain intact.
But we must expect better from the interim government, right? Surely, now is the time for Bangladesh to send a message. Perhaps it’s time to give India a little taste of its own medicine -- or at the very least, demand accountability for these outrageous killings. Maybe, just maybe, the next time a Bangladeshi child dies on the border, it won’t be swept under the rug with the usual excuse of “self-defence.”
Until then, let’s all brace ourselves for the next tragic headline. Because if history has taught us anything, it’s that the BSF is far from done “defending” its borders against the terrifying threat of teenage girls, cattle smugglers, and unarmed civilians. After all, it’s all in the name of friendship, isn’t it?
HM Nazmul Alam is Lecturer, Department of English and Modern Languages, International University of Business, Agriculture and Technology.
