National Forum | lives & livelihood of the Indian peasants are under attack by the Indian forces

To                                                                                                   5^th February 2011

The  Hon'ble Chairman

National Human Rights Commission

Faridkot House

Copernicus marg

New Delhi-110001 

Sir,  

I would like to inform you with grave concern about a serious problem related to challenge to right to life and livelihood of a large section of people who are residing at Indo- Bangladesh bordering areas of District Murshidabad in West Bengal. Border Security Force resulted in a terrible scare on the minds of the villagers residing there. Their fundamental right to live with human dignity, right to food, right to livelihood and right to life which are secured under Art 21 of the Constitution of India has been violated by the BSF personnel as a regular basis. According to the law the B.S.F is directed to stay in the border however it can be shown that on several occasions the B.S.F. personnel have been posting their camps inside few kilometers of the village from the original border. The villagers had to abide by the various silly norms and rules of Border Security Force and slightest violation resulted into brutal physical assault and harassment of the villagers. Regular basis torture becomes day to day issue. We, on behalf of MASUM have informed various authorities to take appropriate measures in this regard.

 

After several complaints to the administration and many applications to various institutions including the authorities of Border Security Force, the B.S.F. shifted their camps at the border, and during these times the villagers were enjoying a peaceful life. However from our fact finding team we were notified that after shifting their camps on the border the B.S.F. personnel of the battalion 57 recently entered inside 2-3 kilometer of the village of Char Katlamari Mouja, Police Station-Raninagar, District-Murshidabad again at 23.01.2010. After entering inside the village, Force has restarted the inhuman practice banning the farmers, approximately 2000 in numbers, to harvest crops without showing the voter Identity card. As the BSF jawans were inside the village, there was no security in the border areas and as a result of that during this period the miscreants of the Bangladesh came and took away the crops of the poor villagers of Indian citizens. The jawans of BSF stayed at inside the village of Char Katlamari Mouja for a week and made the life of the villagers miserable.

Even the B.S.F. personnel were alleged to participate in smuggling of cattle through the border as accomplice. It proves that widespread smuggling is going on in the porous Indo-Bangladesh border with the blessing of a section of B.S.F. and in connivance with local police, local administration, local officials of Excise department and also with the BGB (earlier BDR). Although they have shifted their OPs / BOPs towards the border again on 31.01.2010, but still the OPs / BOPs of the BSF stationed  3-4 kilometers inside the Indian territory. The villagers of Char Katlamari Mouja now living under terror that the BSF personnel hamper their day-to-day live with dignity and livelihood.

 

Hence we seek your urgent intervention in this matter in the following manner:-  

 

• Secure the right to life and livelihood under Art 21 and freedom of movement under Art 19 provided by the Constitution of the poor villagers of Char Katlamari Mouja, Station-Raninagar, District-Murshidabad from the gruesome atrocities inflicted upon them by the Border Security Force.
• More than fifty complaints have been filed before various authorities including the authorities of Border Security force demanding posting the BSF personnel in their camps at the international border point and compel them to remain there, not inside the villages.
• This practice of the BSF stationing inside the villages and staying there also effects the security of the state and keeping a verge land of our country without any protection. 24 hours presence of heavily armed personnel with non-bengali languages inside the villages create bad impact upon the children and also to the women folk. This practice must be stopped immediately.
• The guilty Border Security Force personnel must be booked under the law for their alleged act of atrocities and torture upon the poor villagers.
• The victims must be provided adequate compensation and protection.
• BSF should be posted at the "0" point at IBP stipulated border, not in villages.
• Farmers should be allowed to cultivate their own land in Indian Territory without any irrational restriction.

--
Palash Biswas
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