Deaths along the Bangladesh–India border occur many times a year as a result of people allegedly attempting to illegally cross or walk along the border, cross-border firing and suspected cattle smuggling. Bangladesh and India share a border. To prevent suspected smuggling and illegal migration from Bangladesh, the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) exercises its controversial "shoot on sight" policy. Under this policy, the BSF can shoot any person on sight with or without cause.
According to a report published by human rights organisations, around 1,000 Bangladeshi civilians were killed by the Indian BSF in a period of 10 years (from 2001 to 2010). The report also states that Indian paramilitary forces routinely threaten, abuse, arbitrarily detain, and torture local Bangladeshi civilians living along the border, and Bangladeshi border guards usually do not help the Bangladeshi civilians.
Illegal migration
Bangladesh claims against Border Security Force
The Indian Border Security Force (BSF) exercises its controversial "shoot on sight" policy to stop illegal migration. The then-head of BSF, Raman Srivastava, stated that people should not feel sorry for the victims as they were trying to illegally enter into India, and therefore they are a legitimate target. Killings along the Bangladesh–India border are routine and arbitrary. Around 1,000 people, mostly Bangladeshi nationals, were killed by Indian border security forces over the period of 10 years (2001 to 2010). None of the Indian BSF personnel involved in killings along the border were ever prosecuted. A 2010 Human Rights Watch (HRW) report stated that BSF justified killing by claiming that it was an act of self-defence, or that the suspects were evading arrest. However, the reports filed by the BSF with the Indian police don't show recovery of any lethal weapon or explosives from the victim which justifies self-defense. Several survivors and eyewitnesses of BSF attacks allege that the BSF resorts to indiscriminate shooting without issuing any warning.
Human Rights Watch reports that the BSF, which has a long record of severe human rights abuses, is exempt from criminal prosecution, unless it is specifically ordered by the Indian government to undertake a prosecution in a particular case. Brad Adams, then the Asia director of Human Rights Watch, stated in 2011 that "Routinely shooting poor, unarmed villagers is not how the world's largest democracy should behave."
While speaking about border killings in a 2022 interview, India-based human rights activist Kiriti Roy from Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM) noted the existence of barbed wire fences in Indian territories that are within 150 yards from zero point ("no man's land"). He pointed out that per the Geneva Convention, defence infrastructure cannot be built within this 150-yard zone. In January 2025, BSF reportedly attempted to construct more barbed wire fences along the zero line in violation of the international law.
Killing of Felani Khatun
On 7 January 2011, a 15-year-old girl, Felani, was shot dead while illegally entering Bangladesh from India by the BSF in Phulbari Upazila, Kurigram. She had gotten stuck in the barbed wire when she was shot and she remained there for 5 hours until she bled to death. This resulted in protests in Bangladesh. In 2015, the National Human Rights Commission of India asked the Indian government to pay as compensation to her family.
Indian claims against Border Guard Bangladesh Some Indian nationals were also reported to have been killed by Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) on suspicion of being smugglers. On 21 January 2012, Indian officials claimed that four BGB soldiers crossed into India and killed an Indian national. The soldiers were trying to drag the body of the Indian national when they were stopped by Indian locals who gathered at the site after hearing gunshots. The locals captured one BGB soldiers, while the other three BGB soldiers managed to flee. The Bangladeshi officials claim that the slain Indian national was a smuggler, however, Indian officials claim that the slain Indian national was just a farmer.
On 7 April 2015, Indian officials reported that BGB had crossed 10 kilometres into Indian territory and killed two Indian nationals. The body of one Indian national was taken back by Bangladesh. The incident created tensions between BSF and BGB. The Bangladeshi officials claimed that the killed Indian nationals were smugglers.
On 24 September 2024, the BGB detained a BSF personnel for reportedly crossing into the Bangladesh through the boundary near pillar number 334/sub-pillar 6. The personnel was found in uniform but unarmed, and the Bangladeshi officials were preparing to return the detained member to the Indian authorities through a flag meeting. However, Indian media later reported that the BSF made a strong protest to the BGB in its response and that they considered this an "abduction" of one of its soldiers. The personnel was returned later in the day following a flag meeting. Same incident again occurred on 22 December 2025, where Bangladesh BGB personnel captured an Indian BSF member allegedly stepping inside Bangladesh. He was later released and given to BSF after a flag meeting.
Cross border firing
2001 border clash
From 16 to 20 April 2001, India and Bangladesh exchanged gunfire in a border clash. 16 BSF soldiers and 3 BDR soldiers were killed in the clash.
2005 border clash
On 16 April 2005, India and Bangladesh border troops engaged in a gun battle that resulted in the death of two Indian border soldiers and two Bangladeshi civilians. A Bangladesh border guard stated that the bodies of an Indian border soldier and an officer were lying inside Bangladeshi territory. Bangladeshi border guards claim that a platoon of Indian border guards, along with some 100 Indian civilians, entered into Bangladesh territory and looted in Hirapur village. Indian border guards and civilians intrusion in Bangladesh prompted Bangladesh border guards to retaliate. However, according to Indian military officials, Indian border guards had requested a flag meeting to secure the release of an Indian villager abducted earlier by Bangladesh border guards. Bangladesh border guards instead abducted BSF officer Assistant Commandant Jiwan Kumar from the meeting and took him into Bangladesh where he was tortured and later killed.
2008 border clash
On 18 July 2008, a BSF soldier killed two BDR soldiers inside Bangladesh. He had initially crossed the border to catch a cow smuggler, but firing began. In retaliation, the BSF soldier fought a gun battle with the BDR soldiers. According to Bangladeshi officials, 10 BDR soldiers were seriously injured, and 2 BDR soldiers died.
2013 border clash
On 11 February 2013, Bangladeshi officials claim that Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) killed twelve Indian nationals. According to Bangladeshi officials, the two Indian nationals were smugglers, and they attacked a BGB patrol party, which prompted BGB to retaliate. All smugglers were killed, and their bodies were taken back by BSF. Later on, BSF took positions and started firing on BGB, which lasted for thirty minutes.
2019 border clash
In 2019, Bangladeshi border guards shot at BSF personnel. Bangladeshi officials claimed it was self defence. One BSF officer was killed in the clash.
January 2024 border clash
In 2024, Indian BSF personnel shot and killed a Bangladesh BGB personnel while he got disconnected from his team while they were running after smugglers.
September 2024-2025 border clashes
Since the July Uprising-led by student movements and political parties, relations between Bangladesh and India strained due to the shelter of former Bangladeshi authoritarian leader Sheikh Hasina. Despite cordial relations later on slowly improving under the Yunus ministry, various new issues came across in the border between Bangladesh and India. India started to push-in alleged immigrants from their country into Bangladesh through the border. This created a harsh reaction from the foreign ministry of Bangladesh, urging India to stop such push-ins without proof of those immigrants being Bangladeshi. In the year 2025 alone, around 34 Bangladeshis were shot and killed by the Indian Border Security Force the highest Bangladeshi casualty in the hands of BSF since 2020. India argues that the BSF soldiers were ordered to use non lethal force to control smuggling attempts across the border but when the soldier feels danger to life the soldier can fire shots in self defence. Border tensions were also on the rise when Bangladeshi BGB personnel captured Indian BSF personnel on 28 September 2024 and also on 22 December 2025. Bangladesh claims that they illegibly stepped into Bangladesh and were violating international law. Though the Indian BSF claimed those incidents as "misunderstood" and later got back their captured personnel after a flag meeting between the two nations. But clashes also could happen due to misunderstood judgements or wrong intentions.
Cattle smuggling In Bangladesh, Indian cattle can become legal through a small tax to the government, while India bans all export of cat tle. This has become a flashpoint issue at the border. The cattle trade, according to a 2015 estimate in the Christian Science Monitor, is close to one billion dollars. A Bangladeshi cattle smuggler was killed in March 2014 in the border near Satkhira Sadar upazila by the BSF. In January 2016, a Bangladeshi cattle smuggler was allegedly tortured to death by members of the BSF in Bhurungamari Upazila, Kurigram District. The same month, another Bangladeshi national was killed by BSF in Sapahar Upazila, Naogaon District. In April 2016, a Bangladeshi cattle trader was shot in Kurigram District. In June 2016, two Bangladeshi smugglers were killed by the BSF in Gomostapur Upazila, Chapainawabganj. In August 2016, a Bangladeshi smuggler was shot dead in the border region in Moheshpur upazila of Jhenidah. In January 2017, a cattle smuggler was allegedly tortured to death by the BSF in Damurhuda Upazila in Chuadanga District.
Farmlands near the border A teenager was killed and three others were injured in a shooting conducted by BSF in Chuadanga when they went to pick mangoes from a tree near the border in May 2016. The BSF suspended seven of its personnel over the incident.
Bangladeshi civilian casualties From 2001 to 2010, human right organisations state that around 1,000 Bangladeshi civilians have been killed by the Border Security Force (BSF). From 2012 to 2016, around 146 Bangladeshi civilians were killed by BSF and Indian civilians, according to Bangladesh Home Minister Asad Uz Zaman Khan Kamal.
Year Killed Injured Abducted Missing Rape Snatching Push in Other Total Source 1972 1515 1973 2020 1974 2323 1975 1111 1976 1616 1977 2727 1978 1212 1979 2222 1980 1818 1981 1212 1982 1919 1983 1616 1984 2323 1985 2727 1986 3030 1987 1717 1988 1313 1989 1717 1990 1818 1991 1515 1992 1616 1993 2323 1994 3939 1995 3636 1996 3131 1997 3333 1998 3737 1999 3838 2000 31 17 106 0 2 13 0 0 169 2001 84 29 55 0 1 10 0 0 179 2002 94 42 118 30 0 12 0 0 296 2003 27 41 120 7 2 8 0 0 205 2004 72 30 73 0 0 5 0 0 180 2005 88 53 78 14 3 4 0 0 240 2006 155 121 160 32 2 9 0 0 479 2007 118 82 92 9 3 5 198 0 507 2008 61 46 81 0 0 3 20 0 211 2009 98 77 25 13 1 1 90 3 308 2010 74 72 43 2 0 1 5 0 197 2011 31 62 23 0 0 0 0 9 125 2012 38 100 74 1 0 9 0 16 238 2013 29 79 127 0 1 77 41 0 354 2014 35 68 99 2 0 0 0 5 209 2015 44 60 27 1 0 0 0 0 132 2016 29 36 22 0 0 0 0 0 87 2017 25 39 28 0 0 0 0 0 92 2018 11 24 16 0 0 0 0 0 51 2019 41 40 34 0 0 0 0 0 115 2020 51 27 7 0 0 0 0 1 86 2021 17 12 0 0 1 0 0 1 31 2022 18 21 0 0 0 0 0 0 39 202328280000005620242429000000532025463814000243602534 Total 1963 1273 1422 111 16 157 2790 357797
Impact