On January 7, 2011, Felani Khatun, a 15-year-old

Bangladeshi Bangladeshis ( ) are the citizens and nationals of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centred on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the Bay of Bengal, eponymous bay. Bangladeshi nationality law, Bangladeshi citizenship was fo ...

national, was shot and killed by the

Indian Border Security Force The Border Security Force (BSF) is a Central Armed Police Forces, central armed police force in India under the Ministry of Home Affairs (India), Ministry of Home Affairs. It is responsible for guarding Border guard, India’s borders with Indi ...

(BSF) while attempting to cross the India-Bangladesh border near Phulbari Upazila in Kurigram,

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

. Felani and her father, Noor Islam, were returning to Bangladesh after residing in

Assam, India Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...

, without valid travel documents. The incident was captured in a photograph that showed her body suspended on the barbed-wire

border fence A border barrier, border fence or border wall is a separation barrier that runs along or near an international border. Such barriers are typically constructed for border control purposes such as curbing illegal immigration, human trafficking, ...

. The image, which was widely circulated, became a focal point in discussions about border enforcement practices and human rights concerns.

Background

Felani Khatun () was a 15-year-old Bangladeshi girl. Her family had migrated to India seeking better economic opportunities. They resided in

Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...

, where Felani worked as a

domestic worker A domestic worker is a person who works within a residence and performs a variety of household services for an individual, from providing cleaning and household maintenance, or cooking, laundry and ironing, or care for children and elderly ...

. In early 2011, the family decided to return to

in preparation for Felani's arranged marriage. Without valid travel documents, they opted to cross the border illegally.

Incident

On January 7, 2011, at dawn, Felani and her father attempted to scale the barbed-wire fence using a ladder. During the attempt, her clothing became entangled, leaving her stranded atop the fence. As Felani struggled to free herself, she was shot by BSF personnel, identified as

Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. ''Constable'' is commonly the rank of an officer within a police service. Other peo ...

Amiya Ghosh. Eye witnesses stated that she initially survived the gunshot but succumbed to her injuries while still trapped on the fence. Her body remained suspended for several hours before being retrieved.

Reaction and aftermath

The

Bangladeshi government The Cabinet of Bangladesh () is the chief executive body in the People's Republic of Bangladesh. The cabinet is the collective decision-making body of the entire government normally under the Office of the Prime Minister, composed of the prime ...

swiftly condemned the shooting of Felani Khatun.

Foreign Minister In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

Dipu Moni Dipu Moni (born 8 December 1965) is a Bangladeshi politician and former minister of social welfare. She was a member of parliament for the Chandpur-3 constituency. She was minister of education in the fourth Hasina ministry and minister of f ...

issued a statement expressing outrage over the incident, calling it a "gross violation of human rights". The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh officially lodged a diplomatic protest with the Indian government, demanding that the responsible BSF personnel be held accountable. While the

Indian government The Government of India (ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of 36 states and union territor ...

expressed regret over the incident, it maintained that the BSF personnel were acting within the guidelines of border security enforcement. In a 2021 statement,

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...

condemned the killing, calling it "excessive use of force" by BSF personnel and called for an independent investigation into the incident and for the Indian government to hold accountable those responsible. Bangladesh-based human rights organisation

Odhikar Odhikar () is a Bangladesh-based human rights organization, that was founded in October 1994. It is a member of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH). It has been publishing an annual activity report since 2003. Odhikar's work has ...

's President

Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar, also known as C. R. Abrar, is a retired professor of International relations of the University of Dhaka, human rights activist, and executive director of Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit. He is the president ...

also condemned the killing and called for immediate justice.

Human rights activist A human rights defender or human rights activist is a person who, individually or with others, acts to promote or protect human rights. They can be journalists, environmentalists, whistleblowers, trade unionists, lawyers, teachers, housing campai ...

, Kiriti Roy called the killing as "a shame for India".

Legal proceedings

Following the incident, the BSF initiated an internal investigation into the shooting.

Amiya Ghosh, the BSF personnel involved, was charged with violating the force’s operational protocols. The case was brought before a BSF General Court Martial (GCM) court, which is responsible for investigating incidents involving BSF personnel. In 2013, the GSF court acquitted Constable Ghosh, citing a lack of sufficient evidence to support the allegations. This verdict was widely criticized, particularly by Bangladeshi officials and international human rights organizations, who questioned the integrity of the trial process and the accountability of the BSF. Following this decision, the

called for a retrial and greater transparency in the judicial process. In 2015, a retrial was conducted. However, the GSF court upheld the original acquittal, stating that the procedural and evidentiary limitations made it impossible to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. In 2016, the

National Human Rights Commission of India The National Human Rights Commission of India (abbreviated as NHRC) is a statutory body constituted on 12 October 1993 under the Protection of Human Rights Ordinance of 28 September 1993. It was given a statutory basis by the Protection of Huma ...

asked the Secretary of Ministry of Home Affairs of the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

to submit a compliance report with proof of payment with the sum of in compensation to Felani's family.

Legacy

In 2021, Mahbubul A Khalid along with composer

Ahmed Imtiaz Bulbul Ahmed Imtiaz Bulbul (1 January 1956 – 22 January 2019) was a Bangladeshi lyricist, composer and music director, active since the late 1970s. He was a freedom fighter who joined the Bangladesh Liberation War at the age of 15. He won Ekushey Pada ...

released a song titled 'Felani' commemorating her tenth death anniversary.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khatun, Felani Central Armed Police Forces of India Deaths by person in Bangladesh Extrajudicial killings by the Indian military Bangladesh–India border January 2011 crimes in Asia Incidents of violence against girls January 2011 in India January 2011 in Bangladesh 2011 murders in India 2011 murders in Bangladesh Deaths by firearm in Bangladesh 2011 in international relations International incidents Child murder in India Child murder in Bangladesh Deaths by person in India