Deaths during border intrusion or crime should not be termed ‘border killings’: Home Minister

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said that it is not right to call all deaths that occur on the border as 'border killings'. He said that if a Bangladeshi is killed by foreign forces on the zero line of the border or in the territory of Bangladesh, it can be called a border killing. However, if someone enters another country illegally or is involved in any criminal activity and is killed inside that country, then it will not be right to call him a 'border killing'.

Talking to reporters at the Secretariat, regarding the upcoming Director General-level meeting of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Border Security Force (BSF), the minister said that this is a regular annual meeting of the border guard forces of the two countries on Tuesday (June 2). The meeting will discuss various border-related issues, challenges and concerns of both sides.

Responding to a question about the incident of Bangladeshis being killed at the border, the Home Minister said that it is necessary to understand the nature of the matter and evaluate it. If a foreign force comes to the border of Bangladesh or the zero line and kills someone, then it can be considered a border killing. But the action taken by the law enforcement agencies of the concerned country in the event of illegal infiltration or criminal activities within the borders of another country falls under the jurisdiction of that country's own laws.

Regarding the allegations of people gathering at the border in the name of so-called 'Bangladeshis' in West Bengal, India, he said that the government is aware of the matter and the BGB has been kept on alert at the border. Bangladesh does not support any kind of illegal 'push-in' or 'push-back'.

The minister further said that if a person is actually a citizen of Bangladesh and the Indian authorities verify their identity and officially send the information to Bangladesh, then the legal repatriation process will be followed through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, at present, no such matter is pending with the government.