Border killings: Bangladesh has made protest language stronger, says foreign adviser

Foreign Affairs Adviser to the interim government Md Touhid Hossain today said Bangladesh has strengthened its language of protest over the recent border killings, clearly condemning such actions.
“We have made our protest language stronger. It is a very sensitive issue, and we are raising it at every moment. We expect India will take it into consideration,” he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs while responding to a question on recent border killings.
The adviser reiterated Bangladesh’s firm call for an end to the killings, emphasising that such actions harm bilateral relations without benefiting either country.
“We have made it clear that we condemn these acts. These killings play a very negative role in Bangladesh-India relations, and I have never heard anyone suggest they benefit India,” he added.
The government of Bangladesh has previously urged India to cease these “heinous acts,” calling for investigations into all border killings, the identification of those responsible, and accountability for the perpetrators.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh lodged a formal protest with India today following the killing of 13-year-old Shwarna Das, a Bangladeshi girl from Moulvibazar’s Juri upazila who was shot dead by India’s Border Security Force (BSF) on September 1.
In the protest note sent to the Indian high commission in Dhaka, Bangladesh expressed deep concern and condemned the “ruthless” act.
The note reminded India that such killings violate the Joint Indo-Bangladesh Guidelines for Border Authorities, 1975, and are “undesirable and unwarranted.”
Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma met with newly appointed Foreign Secretary Jashim Uddin today to discuss issues of mutual interest, including the ongoing border situation.
On Monday, the adviser said border killing is certainly a barrier to building good relations between Bangladesh and India.
“These incidents cause a national outcry, creating a negative repercussion that we do not want,” he said.
The issue resurfaced following the shooting of another Bangladeshi teenager, 15-year-old Joyanta Kumar Singha, along the Baliadangi border in Thakurgaon yesterday.
The teenager’s father, Mahadev Kumar Singha, and another individual, Bangdu Mohammad, were also injured in the incident. Both are receiving treatment at Rangpur Medical College Hospital.
Police reported that BSF troops took away the teenager’s body after the shooting.
The adviser described the ongoing border killings as “unacceptable,” noting that these incidents persist even as both nations claim to be experiencing a “golden chapter” in their relations.