Two Bangladeshi cattle traders, who were tortured and left unconscious by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) in border areas of the district’s sadar upazila, are fighting for life at Satkhira Sadar Hospital.
Of the two, Rafiqul Islam, 35, is from Sultanpur of Satkhira town and Fazlur Rahman, 45, from Mahmudur village of sadar upazila.
On Thursday night, the BSF men of Kaijuri camp caught Rafiqul when he and a group of fellow traders were returning to Bangladesh with cattle through Kaijuri-Baikari border, locals said.
Rafiqul was beaten up and left inside Bangladesh territory around 3:30am yesterday. Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB) of Baikari camp sent him to the hospital.
In another incident the same night, the BSF men of Panitor camp caught Fazlur, as he and some other traders were coming to Bangladesh through Panitor-Gazipur border.
A team of BGB from Baikari camp found him lying unconscious on Bangladesh side of the border early yesterday and rushed him to the hospital.
Talking to The Daily Star, Rafiqul and Fazlur said BSF men beat them with iron rods and dumped them inside Bangladesh thinking they were dead.
Major Monir of 41 BGB battalion has confirmed the incidents.
Meanwhile on Thursday night, BSF of Pakhiura camp returned the Bangladeshi boy it held that evening.
The boy, Shamim Ahmed, 15, had swum across the Ichhamati river and entered Indian territory.
Hailing from Shyampur village under Moheshpur upazila of Jhenidah, he was sent back home after a flag meeting between BSF and BGB.
