A 16-year-old girl was reportedly shot dead by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) in Kulaura upazila in Bangladesh’s Moulvibazar last night.

The victim, Swarna Das, was a student of class eight at Nirod Bihari High School and the daughter of Parendra Das from Kalnigarh village in Westjuri union.

According to Nayek Obaid, the patrol commander of Lalarchak Border Outpost (BOP) under the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) battalion-46, a group of Bangladeshis attempted to cross the border illegally. During this attempt, BSF opened fire, killing Swarna.

The BSF has since taken her body into Indian territory, and its return is still pending legal procedures and diplomatic discussions between the two countries.

Swarna's father, Parendra, revealed that his daughter and her mother were attempting to cross the Lalarchak border to visit her eldest brother, who resides in Tripura. They were accompanied by a couple from Chattogram and aided by two local agents. The group was fired upon by BSF personnel as they approached the border fence around 9:00 pm, resulting in Swarna’s death on the spot. The couple who accompanied them sustained injuries.

After the shooting, three members of the group sought refuge in a house in Lalarchak village. The homeowner reported seeing two injured individuals and quickly notified the BGB. BGB officials later visited the family, and the injured couple was transported to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital for treatment.