INDISCRIMINATE KILLINGS, ABUSE BY BSF
Over the past decade, hundreds of Bangladeshi and Indian nationals have been killed by India's Border Security Force (BSF), but despite numerous complaints no member of the BSF has been arrested, much less held to account in civilian courts. The porous 2,000 kilometer border between the Indian state of West Bengal and Bangladesh is densely populated by farmers and landless peasants.
Poor irrigation and continuous river erosion has destroyed farms and livelihoods and entreched poverty. As a result, smuggling of cattle, narcotics, and human trafficking is on the rise. Both Bangladesh and India have deployed border guards to prevent these activities.
Abuses by the BSF and the Bangladeshi border force, the Bangladesh Rifles, are common. However, the BSF is more regularly responsible for serious violations of international law, including torture and the indiscriminate use of lethal force.
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