The Border Security Force should be cautious and use non-lethal weapons while guarding the border with Bangladesh, Dr. A.K. Abdul Momen, Foreign Minister of Bangladesh said on Monday. He told media in Dhaka that Bangladesh has identified the areas where people have died in firing from the border guards and Dhaka is planning to station more forces at those hot spots to prevent casualties.
“The BSF needs to be more careful while enforcing law in the border areas. They can arrest and bring our citizens to us if they are found violating law but killing our nationals is not welcome,” Mr. Momen said urging Indian authorities to act according to bilateral understanding. The comment came in response to the reported lynching of three citizens of Bangladesh in Assam’s Karimganj on Sunday. Police in Karimganj have alleged that the three had come to steal cattle.
Enough cattle of our own
“There is no need for us to bring cattle from elsewhere. We have enough cattle of our own,’ said Mr. Momen in response. The BSF has taken a tough stance on containing cattle smuggling which spikes annually ahead of the Bakrid.
Though the incident in Karimganj is being investigated, officials in Dhaka urged the border guards of India and the common people to treat Bangladesh nationals according to agreed principles.
“We have identified the border areas where our people have been killed in the recent past. We have conducted an internal discussion about how to prevent such incidents. This is a very small part of the border and we are considering deploying more forces in such areas to avoid the frequent tragedies,” said Mr. Momen.
