Bangladesh's new interim government has said that it wants New Delhi to address the matter of border killings seriously, but it has no plans to escalate the issue into a war.
Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain made the statement to reporters as protest brewed in Dhaka over the alleged BSF shooting deaths of a 16-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy along India's border with the country. The BSF has not confirmed the killings.
Bangladesh claimed on Sunday that the BSF shot dead a 15-year-old boy who was trying to enter India illegally. The teen was allegedly fired at when he was cutting the barbed-wire fence near the border. The teen, identified as Jayanta Kumar Singh, was with his father when the firing happened.
This happened after protests boiled over the alleged shooting death of a 16-year-old girl, identified as Swarna Das. Bangladesh authorities blame it on the BSF. Following this, the foreign affairs ministry lodged a formal protest to the government of India, stating that such incidents of border killing were undesirable and unwarranted and a violation of the provisions of the Joint Indo-Bangladesh Guidelines for Border Authorities, 1975.
When asked about this, Hossain said Dhaka has raised the issue and is constantly communicating with Indian authorities, but is yet to hear from the latter. He added that the issue has a "significantly negative impact" on bilateral relations between Dhaka and New Delhi.
“These border killings are not beneficial for India. They should be stopped in the interest of both countries,” Hossain told reporters, adding that it was in the interest of both countries to move beyond this. "I have not heard anyone say that this benefits India in any way."
On whether Bangladesh would seek justice if protests don't yield results, Touhid Hossain: "We have strengthened our protest language. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but that is all we can do for now. We won’t escalate this into a war."
Bangladesh's local media reports claim 16 Bangladeshis who went to India through the border earlier the same night were detained by BSF personnel.