Partha Sengupta

The Bloodiest Border

I’m a descendent of a refugee family from East Bengal (now Bangladesh) part of Bengal province during British rule, was a vast land of various creeds, cultures and a common language Bangla.

During Partition of India in 1947, an international border drawn Bengal area into East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and West Bengal (in India). The border changed the social fabric of the vast land with a new nationality with a strong sectarian belief. Since then the border denotes heavily guarded by paramilitary forces; human rights abuse and suspicions.

The barbed wire fence erected at the international border in Murshidabad district in West Bengal state in India and Bangladesh. The border is heavily militiarised with hundred meters apart a cluster of BSF soldiers manning the border. To prevent infiltration and cross border smuggling most of the border between the state West Bengal in India and Bangladesh, barbed wire fence had been installed. The 4156 kilometer long border with Bangladesh, India had installed fence almost covering ninety five percent of the border under it, engulfing Bangladesh like a cage. Plans are also there to install a second line of barbed wire fence at the Bangladesh side to make the border more inaccessible by ordinary citizens.

Kabijon Bibi mother of Bablu Hossain who had lost both eyes due to off a gunshot wound. His both eye were severely damaged of pellets fired by a BSF soldier near the border area. He belongs to an agrarian poor family and does farming on lease lands and some family lands they have. Earlier for extra income he had involved in cattle smuggling and during his first trade he had been noticed and open fired by a border security soldier. For his eye treatment most of their own lands were sold to meet the expenses. Even the doctors were less hopeful of his treatment. No compensation had been awarded to Bablu Hossain from government for the loss of his eyes or for medical treatment.

Cattle smuggling is one of the significant illegal trade between India and Bangladesh. Currently the cattle trade is around million dollar industry in comparison to earlier it was around billion dollar illegal trade between the two countries. Due to barbed wire fence the trade has tilted down still it is flourishes where the border is porous. Even people say who are still now associated this trade either Indian or Bangladeshi, that a percentage of the trade money shares between the BSF, the Indian security force and BGB, the Bangladesh security force. The illegal cattle trade is estimated to be worth around 5000 crore of Indian Rupees or around 70 million US dollar. Economically poor border people on both sides of the border are mostly engaged in this trade for income when many times they get killed, tortured and wounded by BSF.

Bodiyar Mia lost his right hand in the arbitrary firing by one Border Security Force security personnel. The incident happened in an area near Indo-Bangladesh Border under Cooch Behar district, West Bengal. The victim sustained gunshot injury on his hand in the firing. He underwent amputation of right upper limb. He was involved as a mere courier in cow smuggling at the time of the incident, but there was no previous alarm or lawful attempt before firing to restrict him from the act by Border Security Force. The victim after losing his hand in the firing lost his earning capacity. He has been reeling under extreme financial crisis with his family members. The incident again showed the arbitrary firing and encounter killing are still in practice in the hands of Border Security Force enjoying full impunity and flouting the international and national humanitarian norms and obligations.

Bablu Hossain had lost both eyes due to off a gunshot wound. His both eye were severely damaged of pellets fired by a BSF soldier near the border area. He belongs to an agrarian poor family and does farming on lease lands and some family lands they have. Earlier for extra income he had involved in cattle smuggling and during his first trade he had been noticed and open fired by a border security soldier. For his eye treatment most of their own lands were sold to meet the expenses. Even the doctors were less hopeful of his treatment. No compensation had been awarded to Bablu Hossain from government for the loss of his eyes or for medical treatment.

Sanjit Mondal was a victim of brutalities and torture committed by the BSF. He faced twice such brutalities, once in September, 2009 and the second one on April, 2011. In the second incident while working at his family’s agrarian land, he had received pellet injuries and was beaten mercilessly by BSF personnel with the rifles and their boot clad feet. In 2009 incident too, when he was just seventeen years old, he and his siblings had similar fate when they were severely tortured by posted BSF personnel. In both the cases no justice had been awarded to Sanjit Mondal and moreover no punitive action was against the errant BSF security personnel.

A group of Hindu men and women were in the evening prayer at a house in Kursherhaat village near the international border of India and Bangladesh.

Tarun Kanti Barman had his original residence near the international border of the state West Bengal in India and Bangladesh. He had complained that during their stay at the earlier home was difficult as BSF personnel made frequent visits to their home in the context of security reasons. They used to demand foods and money from them as they ‘are poor most of the time unable to fulfill their demand. Even they used to visit in the mid-night too. If their demand was not fulfilled they damaged their belongings and property. So for the sake of safety of their family members they sold their ancestral property and moved to a safer location which is also near to the border. Tarun Kanti had narrated their family agony as being an Indian citizen they were harassed by Indian security forces. Even instances were there that they also beaten and thrashed by the security personnel.

In the Indian side, BSF (Border Security Force of India) managed the international border. Their attitude towards the border people is with deep suspicion with extra judicial killings, custodial death and torture. Prevalence of cross border smuggling and infiltration in this region is how the security forces justified their atrocities. In 2011 Human Rights Watch termed BSF “Trigger Happy” for their notoriety.

Similarity of look and language of the border people has led to confusion of identity with regards to their nationality. Security forces ignored the history of this region, justified their atrocities is the only option to deal with the border people whose national identity is debatable.

Bablu Hossain with his year old daughter. He had lost both eyes due to off a gunshot wound. His both eye were severely damaged of pellets fired by a BSF soldier near the border area. He belongs to an agrarian poor family and does farming on lease lands and some family lands they have. Earlier for extra income he had involved in cattle smuggling and during his first trade he had been noticed and open fired by a border security soldier. For his eye treatment most of their own lands were sold to meet the expenses. Even the doctors were less hopeful of his treatment. No compensation had been awarded to Bablu Hossain from government for the loss of his eyes or for medical treatment.

It was an incident of intense physical torture by a Border Security Force personel, Bellal Islam of thirteen years of age. On the fateful day, he was returning from his aunt’s home after having afternoon meal. The residence of his aunt was just beside the fence and people normally climbed and cross a wall to make the distance short. Bellal was taken the same route and while crossed nearly 100 meters near to his home; a BSF personal restricted his movement and started bashing him. The soldier pounced and punched on his face. The father and uncle of the boy rushed to save him after hearing the screams of Bellal. The soldierl indiscriminately punched at the face, chest and head of the boy. He felt sick and rushed to the Dinhata Sub Divisional Hospital; where he was admitted for next four days and underwent medical treatment. The act of the BSF personal was not only savage and brute but also against the national and international legal provisions. The torturous act was in contravention of Article 19 and 37 of UN Convention on Rights of the Children; where the convention has stated that the right of every child to be protected from being hurt or badly treated and not to be punished in a cruel or hurtful way; respectively and India has ratified the convention way back.

Bhanga Masjid (mosque) was earlier situated near the international border of West Bengal in India and Bangladesh. Decades back the security agency of India; BSF had ordered the mosque to be shifted to a safer place which is currently at Kursherhaat village. The mosque had removed to erect the high barbed fence at the international border.

Eighty year old Shakila Begum lost his two sons in the BSF firing. The woman is a Bangladeshi national lives near the border of India (in the state West Bengal) and Bangladesh. In 2002, his two sons Fakruddin aged twenty four and Ekramul, in the morning was busy with their farming work in their farmland. Two BSF men were seen at that place near to their field in the Bangladesh territory they were searching a smuggler who ran away a couple minutes back. The two BSF men then had an altercation with the two brothers about the whereabouts of the smuggler. During altercation one of the BSF personnel had shot and killed both the brothers instantly. No justice or compensation had been awarded to the family of the lady so far.

Suman Islam was returning home after attending an invitation at his aunt’s house. It was in the evening he was on his way to his house. Suddenly some BSF personnel stopped him and started asking him questions. Before he could even answer all the BSF personnel started beating him. He tried to explain things both in the local language and in Hindi but they kept on hitting him without even listening to his words. Then he was brought to BSF camp. Throughout the night he was being tortured by the BSF personnel. He was given electric shock and other inhuman things were done to him. He could not bear it so he lost his senses. They implicated him in a false charge. Owing to the torture he had lost his left eye and severe head injury led him to paralytic state of his left part of the body.

Bodiyar Mia lost his right hand in a gun shot wound by one Border Security Force security personnel. The incident happened in an area near Indo-Bangladesh Border under Cooch Behar district, West Bengal. The victim sustained gunshot injury on his hand in the firing. He underwent amputation of right upper limb. He was involved as a mere courier in cow smuggling at the time of the incident, but there was no previous alarm or lawful attempt before firing to restrict him from the act by Border Security Force. The victim after losing his hand in the firing lost his earning capacity. He has been reeling under extreme financial crisis with his family members. The incident again showed the arbitrary firing and encounter killing are still in practice in the hands of Border Security Force enjoying full impunity and flouting the international and national humanitarian norms and obligations.

Bodiyar Mia lost his right hand in a gun shot wound by one Border Security Force security personnel. The incident happened in an area near Indo-Bangladesh Border under Cooch Behar district, West Bengal. The victim sustained gunshot injury on his hand in the firing. He underwent amputation of right upper limb. He was involved as a mere courier in cow smuggling at the time of the incident, but there was no previous alarm or lawful attempt before firing to restrict him from the act by Border Security Force. The victim after losing his hand in the firing lost his earning capacity. He has been reeling under extreme financial crisis with his family members. The incident again showed the arbitrary firing and encounter killing are still in practice in the hands of Border Security Force enjoying full impunity and flouting the international and national humanitarian norms and obligations.

On the wee hour of the morning Hossail Ali was in his paddy field taken on lease for watering. He was poor so he had taken lease of a land for farming. On the fateful day, in the wee hour, BSF men were searching and firing indiscriminately towards the smugglers who are running towards Bangladesh. During indiscriminate firing a stray bullet hit Hossain at his left thigh. He felt unconscious later some other farmers rescued him and admitted him to a nearby hospital. Seeing the unconscious man injured of their firing, BSF men didn’t bother for medical treatment or rescued him from agony. It violated the ‘UN Basic Principles on the use of Force and Firearm by Law Enforcement Agency’ to rescue a man who injured by their fault.

My project is the exploration of borders and its impact on the lives of the border people, where one’s own national identity is debatable. It raises the critical questions about the idea of border is enforced, the complexities of history, lives, culture and nationalists imaginary.

First time in November 2014, I traveled to Bangladesh, as an Indian underwent immigration procedures being a foreigner. Once Bangladesh was the natural place of my parents and family home was there. The partition had changed the equations of my parents who are now foreigners cease the generational old identity. The British Colonial Rule brought a sense of communal identity and animosity with the changes in Hindu-Muslims relations.

A boy with his pegion at a village naer the international border of West Bengal state in India and Bangladesh.

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Azimuddin Sarkar is an activist involves against the atrocities by BSF. His involvement in social activity has earned him wrath of BSF and local Police. As BSF doesn’t has the capacity to detain a person unless he is involved in border crime, so with the help of local police twice Azimuddin had been in custody. He had to bear severe physical torture and humiliation. So fear for his life currently he is now underground at a unknown place to avoid the police detention and torture.

Sanjit Mondal was a victim of brutalities and torture committed by the BSF. He faced twice such brutalities, once in September, 2009 and the second one on April, 2011. In the second incident while working at his family’s agrarian land, he had received pellet injuries and was beaten mercilessly by BSF personnel with the rifles and their boot clad feet. In 2009 incident too, when he was just seventeen years old, he and his siblings had similar fate when they were severely tortured by posted BSF personnel. In both the cases no justice had been awarded to Sanjit Mondal and moreover no punitive action was against the errant BSF security personnel.

Choto (small) Padma Name is the name of the river. In the summer time its look like a stream. Actually it is part of the river Padma which is in the Malda district in West Bengal state of India, flows into two directions, one through West Bengal, named Ganges and other runs through Bangladesh as Padma. But the width of the river during the monsoon time is scaring. The other side of the river is Bangladesh. The river acts as a border though the international boundary runs through the river. In the night the place get a different look as the activities of the cross border smugglers get busy in the cattle trade. Local people and those who are involved in the cattle trade say that BSF personnel and the BGB of Bangladesh earns a cut of each cattle goes to Bangladesh.

A pond at a border village in Kurigram at Bangladesh.

Panchananda Mondal lost his two sons by BSF firing. The elder one, Susanta was involved in farming with Panchanan and the youngest one, Dhanapati was a school student. His complaints were not accepted at the police station as they were killed by BSF. Those two brothers were killed due to indiscriminate firing while for look out by BSF men.

Short Bio

Partha Sengupta (b. 1975) is a Kolkata based Indian documentary photographer. He is a late entrant into photography after leaving his banking career in 2012. Partha studied documentary photography mentorship at Counter Foto, Bangladesh. In 2012, he joined in a local newspaper in Kolkata and worked for three years. Since 2015, he started to work independently. His images were exhibited in the Asian Cultural Heritage in Montreal, Canada in 2012. In 2014, he was selected among fourteen young photographers by German Science & Arts for a photography project in India. His work along with other photographers published in the book ‘The India Vision Quest’ by DWIH in 2015. His works had been exhibited in Kolkata, Dhaka, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Montreal, Cologne and forthcoming at Goa in 2018. In 2018, Partha received s grant from Serendipity Arts Foundation on the photography project “Bhumiputra”. He did his post-graduation in Management and Finance. He is versed with several Indian languages.

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The Emerging Photographer Fund is supported by generous donors to the Magnum Foundation