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Saturday 21 July 2012

BSF is not protecting border, a saga of a victim


20th July 2012
 
To
The Hon'ble Chairman
National Human Rights Commission
Faridkot House
Copernicus Marg
New Delhi - 1
 
 
Respected Sir,
 
We lodge this present complaint in the matter of the victim Mr. Bagbul Islam, son of Late Khorshed Ali Sarkar residing at village-Katlamari, Post Office-Katlamari, Police Station-Raninagar, District-Murshidabad. He is a farmer by profession and his residence is located close to Indo-Bangladesh border. The victim's agrarian lands are located near Indo-Bangladesh border.
 
The facts emerged from the victim's statement that the area is frequented by smugglers from Indian and Bangladesh Territory and the smugglers mainly use the agricultural lands near the Indo-Bangladesh border for their movements and transportation smuggling items which varies from cattle to drugs, human beings and many other things. A section of BSF in connivance of the smugglers carries out such illegal activities I the area and surrounding victinity. It is a regular affair in the area that the farmers suffer loss of their crops and damage of agricultural fields due to illegal movements of smugglers through the farming lands. It is also a matter of fact that the respective BSF Out-Posts in the area is located about 3 kilometers inside the Indian Territory from the actual Indo-Bangladesh Border line. Therefore a vast area of farming lands of the farmers in the area which falls between respective BSF Out-Posts and the actual border line remain unguarded and unprotected and it is a regular affair in the area that louts from Bangladesh enter into those agricultural lands and forcibly take away the growing crops and cause severe damage to the agricultural fields.          
 
The farmers of Katlamari area including the victim himself who have agricultural lands near the Indo-Bangladesh border line have established about 30/35 small temporary houses called "Bathanbari" with the permission of local administration in their agricultural lands where they can temporary reside there and take care of the agricultural lands and protect the crops. The farmers keep crops, farming tools and other necessary items in those "Bathanbari" for the purpose. But even such "Bathanbari" are not safe as the smugglers and louts from Bangladesh see them as a trouble in smooth running of their illegal activities and they are always in search of suitable opportunity to cause damage to such "Bathanbari".  
 
The victim's "Bathanbari" is located in Char Sarandajpur under Raninagar Police Station. On 28.5.2012 at about 4 am few louts from Bangladesh taking advantage of the absence of BSF entered into the victim's "Bathanbari" and put fire on it. As a result of the fire the said "Bathanbari" completely ruined and some articles such two Bi-cycles (Cost Rs.5000/- each), two water pump machines (Cost Rs.20000/-), Jute seeds of 40 Kgs (cost of Rs.2000/-), etc. were completely damaged in the fire. Several people who were present in the spot witnessed the incident and they shouted to call the nearby BSF personnel, but nobody from BSF personnel came forward. The victim lodged written complaint in the matter of the incident before the Officer-in-Charge of Raninagar Police Station and also before the Block-Development Officer, Raninagar-II, Raninagar, but in spite receiving the complaints from the victim, the victim did not get any justice till date. It is relevant here to mention that earlier the victim's son namely Babar Ali was arbitrarily killed by the accused BSF personnel on 8.4.2007.
 
The victim including many farmers from Katlamari and surrounding vicinity earn their livelihood from their agricultural lands located near Indo-Bangladesh Border, but their only source of livelihood is under severe threats from smugglers and louts from Bangladesh unless and until those farming lands are properly guarded and protected by Border Security Force. It is the duty of Border Security Force to guard the lands of Indian Territory, but the actual situation as mentioned above depicts that the concerned BSF authority completely failed to discharge their duty.
 
Hence we seek your urgent intervention in this matter demanding that the whole matter must be enquired into by one neutral enquiring authority. The complaints lodged by the victim before the authorities as mentioned above must be properly acknowledged and the concerned authorities must be directed to take appropriate action in the matter. The concerned BSF personnel must be condemned for not taking any timely action on the spot on 28.5.2012 so to save the victim's property from being ruined and they must be punished accordingly for such inaction. The victim must be provided with adequate compensation and keeping relevancy of the matter we also demand that BSF authority must be directed to locate their position in the actual Indo-Bangladesh border line instead of keeping their posting several kilometers inside the Indian Territory.
 
Your kind action in this matter would be highly solicited.
 
Thanking you,
 
Yours truly,

--
Kirity Roy
Secretary
Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha
(MASUM)
&
National Convenor (PACTI)
Programme Against Custodial Torture & Impunity
40A, Barabagan Lane (4th Floor)
Balaji Place
Shibtala
Srirampur
Hooghly
PIN- 712203
Tele-Fax - +91-33-26220843
Phone- +91-33-26220844 / 0845
e. mail : kirityroy@gmail.com
Web: www.masum.org.in


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