A defiant father

Swarna’s father, Parendra Das, was devastated by the loss of his daughter.

Thirteen-year-old Swarna Das, from Kalnigarh village in Westjuri union, was a student in eighth grade at Nirod Bihari High School in the upazila. She was shot and killed by the BSF on September 1, 2024, while attempting to cross the Lalarchak border into India with her mother to visit her eldest brother in Tripura.

As Swarna and her mother tried to cross the border at 9 pm, moments before they were caught by the BSF, Swarna surrendered by raising both hands, but the BSF opened fire. The BSF handed over her body 45 hours after her death, and she was cremated in the local crematorium near her house.

8 September 2024. Kalnigarh, Westjuri, Moulvi Bajar.

Photo: Parvez Ahmad Rony