The BSF's position, that its members open fire on intruders from across the border and cause death but do not kill, sounds like a semantic ruse which clearly fails to assuage the ill feeling created by such arbitrary action. They have to stop the indiscriminate firing on people allegedly crossing the border from our side. This is in violation of international laws and norms of humanity, civility and good neighbourly conduct. Even in cases where the allegation might be true, there are better ways of handling the issue.
The sweeping categorization of the victims as criminals and smugglers is particularly unfortunate when there are sophisticated tracking devices and night time visual equipment available with India to establish the identity of trespassers with criminal intent. What the BSF is showing is gross insensitivity to human life.
Bangladesh has spared no effort to meet India's security concerns. She has taken a tough stance on ULFA and other separatist organisations adopting stringent measures to make sure that no insurgent find place on our soil. We wonder what else our government can do to allay India's security concerns.
The border with India is extensive, porous and the adjoining areas are populous as well. That is why it is all the more necessary that the border guards do not have a trigger-happy attitude that only leads to loss of lives under extremely unfortunate circumstances. Killing and maiming citizens of a neighbouring country cannot be the duty of border security guards; rather they are supposed to work to maintain peace and normality for improving relations between the two countries.
We fully understand India's security concerns, and would expect it to understand ours, particularly when it comes to the lives of Bangladeshis. The BSF can and should evolve a less inhuman way of dealing with what it calls illegal cross border movement of people.
Finally, the long term effects of indiscriminate killing of Bangladeshis can be counter-productive to the kind of relations the two countries are eager to cultivate and further.
No comments:
Post a Comment