India’s actions along the Bangladesh border have created a serious humanitarian crisis and deep diplomatic tensions. This has led to the loss of human lives and a situation in which communities are terrorised. What is officially framed as a crackdown on “illegal immigration” increasingly appears to be a system of excessive force, lawless enforcement, and disregard for both human rights and Bangladesh’s sovereignty.
India’s Border Security Force (BSF), operating along the long and porous India-Bangladesh frontier, claims to be curbing “illegal immigration.” Yet civil society and human rights groups warn that these border operations often result in deadly violence against Bangladeshi civilians. According to the Human Rights Support Society (HRSS), in the 10 years up to 2025, the BSF killed 305 Bangladeshis and injured 282 others. In 2024 alone, HRSS recorded 47 shootings, 158 arrests, and 26 fatalities. These incidents illustrate a long-term pattern in which unarmed and often impoverished people, including farmers, cattle traders and cross-border workers, become victims of lethal force. These operations continue despite repeated diplomatic pledges. New Delhi and Dhaka have held several high-level meetings to address border violence under the Coordinated Border Management Plan (CBMP). According to HRSS, the killings still continue, raising serious questions about the human cost of India’s immigration policy.
Many of those affected belong to marginalised groups, especially religious minorities and border communities living in constant fear. These people are sometimes falsely labelled as “illegal Bangladeshi immigrants,” detained and subjected to violence. The killing of three young men by the BSF in December 2024 at Jessore’s Panchbhulot border was particularly disturbing. According to Justice Makers Bangladesh in France (JMBF), they were beaten, attacked with sharp weapons and denied due process. In August 2025, JMBF condemned the killing of 25-year-old Abdur Rahman by the BSF at the Kanaighat border in Sylhet. These cases suggest a pattern in which minority individuals are disproportionately vulnerable even when they pose no real threat. Border communities also face the risk of arbitrary displacement, detention and constant surveillance. This creates a troubling situation where border control operates as a coercive strategy that undermines the dignity and basic rights of vulnerable populations.
If both nations want lasting peace and cooperation, they must prevent the border from becoming a killing field.
These repeated killings and abuses are not only a humanitarian issue. They are harming Indo-Bangladesh relations. The Bangladeshi government has formally protested multiple times. After the death of 13-year-old Shwarna Das, who was shot by the BSF on September 1, 2024, Dhaka sent a protest note demanding that India investigate every border killing, identify those responsible and prosecute them. Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Adviser, Md Touhid Hossain, stated that the language of protest has been made stronger and warned that continued violence damages bilateral ties. Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Chief Maj Gen Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui has cautioned that ongoing killings may derail repatriation processes by undermining trust. Civil society is also mobilising. More than 200 Bangladeshi writers, activists and academics have urged the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to intervene. They called on Delhi to stop what they describe as systematic extrajudicial killings and highlighted how border violence is eroding regional trust and worsening the humanitarian crisis.
Taken together, these developments create a troubling picture of a powerful state using force to dominate and intimidate its smaller neighbour under the cover of “security.” The repeated killings suggest that the lives of border residents, especially minorities, are being overlooked. This situation also threatens regional stability. Border communities live in fear. Their livelihoods are disrupted, and families suffer trauma. These conditions increase social tensions and weaken community trust. Over time, border violence harms not only diplomatic goodwill but also cooperation between the two nations. International human rights actors have raised concerns. Groups such as HRSS and JMBF have repeatedly called for accountability, transparency and independent investigations. Progress so far appears limited, and systemic impunity continues.
To break this cycle, both India and Bangladesh must take concrete and immediate steps:
Independent investigations: Every border killing must be subject to a credible and impartial inquiry, preferably with third-party or international observers. This includes full forensic analysis, witness interviews and public reporting.
Prosecute those responsible: Authorities must ensure that BSF personnel and any others involved in shootings or abuse are held accountable under national and international law.
Reform use of force rules: The BSF should revise its engagement protocols. Lethal force should be a last resort. Non-lethal means, stricter rules of engagement and clearer accountability are essential.
Strengthen bilateral mechanisms: Dhaka and New Delhi should institutionalise a regular, transparent dialogue on border violence. They need real and enforceable mechanisms to monitor and prevent killings.
Protect border communities: There must be legal protection for those living in the border belt. Cross-border livelihoods, movement and civil rights must be safeguarded so that communities are not pushed into dangerous or illegal crossings out of desperation.
Engage the international community: Bangladesh should continue to use diplomatic channels, civil society pressure and international human rights platforms, including the United Nations, to press for justice and policy change.
The repeated killings of Bangladeshi citizens by the BSF, carried out in the name of “illegal immigration control,” reveal a deeper crisis. This is not only about border enforcement. It involves the violation of human rights, the undermining of sovereignty and the destabilisation of fragile communities. For Bangladesh, protest alone is not enough. It needs strong diplomacy, legal accountability and international support. For India, any legitimate security mission must be balanced with respect for life, dignity and international norms. If both nations want lasting peace and cooperation, they must prevent the border from becoming a killing field. Only then can they build a relationship where people live without fear and mutual respect prevails.
The writer is a researcher.