It was just after dawn on July 20 when Mohammad Lalchan, a 25-year-old farmer from Nachol, slipped across the border near border pillar 16/5 in Chapainawabganj. He did not go far, just close enough to gather firewood from the riverbank, a routine trip for many in his village. But this time, he never came back.
Days later, his body was found floating in the Padma River, bloated and unrecognisable. His family could only identify him by the clothes he was wearing – the same faded shirt and lungi he had put on that morning.
“He was electrocuted,” said his younger brother, voice trembling. “They didn’t shoot him. They tortured him. Then they threw him into the water like garbage.”
Lalchan’s death is not an isolated tragedy. It may be part of a terrifying new pattern.
A shift in the shadows: From bullets to brutality
For decades, the India-Bangladesh border has been stained with blood. The Border Security Force (BSF) has long been accused of indiscriminate firing, killing hundreds of Bangladeshi civilians, farmers, herders, children, often under the guise of “cross-border infiltration.”
But something has changed.
Over the past year, official data shows a drop in shootings. Yet, the bodies keep coming.
Since the interim government took charge 11 months ago, at least 34 Bangladeshis have been killed in border incidents. But now, survivors and families say the BSF is no longer using guns – they are using electric shocks, acid, and blunt weapons. And instead of leaving bodies at the fence, they are dumping them in the Padma River, where the current carries the evidence downstream.
On August 1, the bloated corpse of Saibur, a local fisherman, washed up at Phultala Ghat in Rajshahi’s Godagari. His skin was charred. His limbs bore deep gashes. His face was unrecognisable.
Two more bodies were found near Masudpur border in Chapainawabganj on August 2. Witnesses say they were burnt with acid, their flesh melted, before being tossed into the river like discarded sacks.
“They want no bullet marks,” said Azizur Rahman, a lifelong resident of Shahapara village. “No evidence. No investigation. Just silence.”
“They’re luring us to die”
Locals speak of a sinister new trap.
Poor villagers are being lured across the river with promises of Tk 20,000 to Tk 30,000 to smuggle cows into India. The deal is simple: swim across, bring the animal, get paid.
But it is a setup.
“The Indian smugglers and BSF are working together,” said Ataur Rahman, a farmer from the border belt. “They let the poor Bangladeshis do the work. Then they capture them. No trial. No mercy. Just torture.”
Some victims had beards. Some were known to pray regularly. Locals say they were targeted more brutally.
“The BSF has more anger towards Muslims,” said Md Samir Uddin, a union parishad member. “One of the men killed last week had a beard. They didn’t just kill him – they made him suffer.”
The river of the disappeared
The Padma, once a lifeline for fishermen and farmers, has become a graveyard.
Stretching across 25 kilometres of char land in Chapainawabganj and Rajshahi, its waters now carry the silent remains of those who ventured too close to the border.
“Every few days, a body surfaces,” said Rakibul Islam, a boatman who ferries the dead to shore. “Hands tied. Burn marks. Wounds from machetes. Never a bullet. Never a name.”
On July 26, three men, including Selim Reza, went fishing near Joharpur Tek. They were seen being dragged across the river by armed men. Three days later, their bodies were found downstream.
“They didn’t drown,” said Azim Uddin, Selim’s brother-in-law. “They were killed. Tortured. Then thrown in like animals.”
No complaints, no justice
Despite the mounting horror, no legal action has been taken.
Lt Col Fahad Mahdum Rinku, commander of the 53rd BGB Battalion, admitted: “We’ve seen the bodies. There are clear signs of torture. But without a formal complaint from the families, we cannot open a case.”
Yet, many families are too afraid to speak.
“They say if we complain, they’ll come for us next,” said a woman whose cousin’s body was found with acid burns. “Who will protect us? The river? The government? The BSF?”
Rajshahi Police Inspector Touhidur Rahman confirmed the bodies show signs of “inhuman torture.” But without cross-border cooperation, investigations go nowhere.
A pattern of impunity
This is not new, it is evolved.
For years, human rights groups have documented extrajudicial killings, torture, and forced disappearances at the border. The BSF has long enjoyed de facto impunity, shielded by geography, politics, and silence.
Now, with fewer bullets and more brutality, the message is clear: “We can kill you, and no one will ever know how.”
“We used to fear the gunshot,” said an elderly woman from Nezampur, wiping tears as she stood by Lalchan’s grave. “Now we fear the silence. Because when there’s no shot, it means they’ve already taken him. And when he comes back… he won’t be whole.”
The world watches, the river flows
As monsoon rains swell the Padma, more bodies may wash ashore.
Each one a father. A son. A brother.
Each death a question: How many more must drown in silence before someone demands justice?
Because now, the BSF is not just killing with bullets.
They are killing with fire.
With electricity.
With acid.
And with the cold, calculated hope that no one will care enough to stop them.