Body of Bangladeshi lynched in India brought back after 9 months

Nearly nine months after he was beaten to death as a suspected cattle thief in the Indian border area, the body of a Bangladeshi youth in Panchagarh has been brought home.

Abdus Salam, the victim, was a native of Kahar Para village in Panchagarh Sadar Upazila. Locals beat him to death at the Baruapara border area in India on Aug 24 last year.

His family received the body at the Banglabandha Immigration Checkpost in Tetulia Upazila on Saturday, said Abdul Latif Mia, chief of Panchagarh Sadar Police Station.

Members of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Border Security Force (BSF), and public representatives were present while handing over the body. None of the BGB and BSF members gave any statement about the incident.

The neighbourhood of Baruapara is situated opposite the Amarkhana border in Panchagarh Sadar Upazila which falls under the jurisdiction of the Nilphamari-56 BGB battalion, said Satmera UP Chairman Rabiul Islam. On the day of the incident, the locals chased three men, including Salam, over suspicions they were cattle thieves. Two among them managed to flee but the Indian locals lynched Salam.

Later, the BSF and Indian police recovered Salam’s body.

Salam’s family learned of his death through reports in the Indian media. His brother went to India with a proper visa to identify his body. The family then applied to the Indian authorities through the BGB to have it returned.