DHAKA, 12 September 2005 — The Border Security Force (BSF) of India refused to return the bodies of four Bangladeshi nationals, who were lynched by an Indian mob Friday.
The border guards of the neighboring countries held a flag meeting in eastern Brahmanbaria district where Company Commander Subedar Mafiz Uddin Sarker led Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) and Company Commander S.K. Sharma led the BSF.
BDR sources said the BSF had confirmed four deaths, but refused to hand over the bodies citing technical reasons.
The BSF asked the BDR to submit documents and photographs of the victims proving their identities. It added that since the bodies were in custody of Indian police, it would take some time to clear the formalities before their repatriation to Bangladesh.
Over 400 Bangladeshi civilians have been killed in violent clashes along the country’s frontier with India in the last six years, a report by a local human rights organization said yesterday.
The Dhaka based rights group Odhikar said the BSF were held directly responsible for the deaths of 338 Bangladeshi residents of frontier villages. A total of 420 Bangladeshi civilians have been killed in border violence since January 2000.
The report accused the paramilitary BSF of frequently trespassing into Bangladeshi territory to kidnap and shoot civilians.
The report also said another 82 Bangladeshis died at the hands of “miscreants”, a word used euphemistically for smugglers, traffickers and bandits.
