15-yr of Felani killing: Justice remains elusive, police halts NCP march

Police on Wednesday halted a march by Dhaka North unit of Jatiya Nagorik Party (NCP) towards the Indian High Commission in the capital, as party leaders and activists marked the 15th year of Felani Khatun killing along Bangladesh–India border with no sign of justice.

The procession began earlier in the day and was stopped around 4:20 PM when it reached Banshtala area near the high commission, where police had erected barricades.

During the march, NCP leaders and supporters chanted slogans protesting Indian aggression and hegemony, while also commemorating Felani Khatun. 

Slogans included calls for freedom and sovereignty, as well as messages asserting that Felani’s killing has not been forgotten.

Felani, then 15, was shot dead by India’s Border Security Force (BSF) on January 7, 2011, while attempting to cross the border at Anantapur of Phulbari upazila in Kurigram district. 

Her body was later found hanging from a barbed-wire fence, an image that sparked widespread outrage both domestically and internationally.

Addressing the gathering, NCP leaders alleged that killings of Bangladeshi nationals by BSF continue, claiming such incidents occur more frequently along the Bangladesh–India border than anywhere else in the world.

Party leaders also accused India of interfering in Bangladesh’s political and economic affairs during Awami League’s tenure, alleging violations of voting rights and broader human rights abuses. 

They further claimed that extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances were part of a wider conspiracy and called for international action against India.

The speakers demanded that all officials allegedly involved in enforced disappearances and killings be brought to justice. 

They also described the upcoming national election as crucial to safeguarding country’s sovereignty, vowing to reject interference from any foreign power, including Washington, Moscow, Beijing or Delhi.