Indian guards will no longer shoot Bangladeshis crossing border

DHAKA, Bangladesh // India's home minister says Indian guards will no longer shoot people crossing the porous border from Bangladesh.

Dozens of Bangladeshis die each year after allegedly being shot by guards trying to stop smuggling. Bangladesh has long asked that guards either arrest suspects or use rubber bullets.

New York-based Human Rights Watch last week renewed its call for India to investigate the killings.

India's Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram told reporters Saturday in Dhaka that India has asked its Border Security Force not to fire at people crossing the 2,500-mile (4,000-kilometer) border under any circumstance.

Both India and Bangladesh also agreed to increase border vigilance to stop smuggling and human trafficking.