Felani trial to figure in BGB-BSF meet in April

The Border Guard Bangladesh is trying to bring the number of border killing down to zero through improving relations with the Border Security Force of India, BGB Director General Maj Gen Aziz Ahmed said yesterday.
According to the BGB, BSF and Indian nationals have killed three Bangladeshis so far this year. The number of Bangladeshis killed on the border was 28 in 2013, 34 in 2012 and 39 in 2011.
On the review of the trial in Felani killing, the BGB chief said they would raise the issue at the next director general-level meeting between the two sides.
"We don't officially know anything about the review process of the trial.
So, we will raise the issue at the director general-level conference to be held in April in India," he told a press briefing at BGB headquarters.
Earlier in September last year, a special court in the Indian state of West Bengal acquitted BSF constable Amiya Ghosh, who allegedly shot Felani Khatun, a Bangladeshi teenage girl, dead on border in January 2011.
The BSF had rejected the verdict and decided to appeal against it, but the BGB had no official information in this regard, BGB officials said.
The BGB chief said unlike India and Myanmar, Bangladesh had no fencing and ring road along the border that would strengthen vigilance and reduce smuggling and border killings.
On security measures to arrest militants on the run, the BGB boss said the border in Jamalpur and Mymensingh had been sealed and additional troops were deployed.
In the last two months, the border guards stopped 148 women and 54 children from being trafficked to India. The number was 736 and 186 last year.
Aziz said BGB men repaired 40 houses, temples and shops out of the 141 damaged in violence centring on the 10th general election.
Besides, 952 Rohingyas have been pushed back to Myanmar so far this year, he said.
He added his forces recovered contraband items worth around Tk 566 crore last year and goods worth Tk 135 crore so far this year.
He also spoke about different steps taken to restructure the border force.