Bangladesh News

Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) and Border Security Force (BSF) of India yesterday had a over four hours long gun battle near Haripara of Birampur upazila in Dinajpur which left at least three Bangladeshis, including a BDR man, injured.

A few thousand locals fled the area amid the gun battle. The tensed situation came to an end when a flag meeting was held between the two border security forces.

The injured are Nayek Latu Mia, commander of a BDR patrol team, and villagers Tofazzal Hossain and Nurul Haque. The injured were rushed to Dinajpur Medical College Hospital. They were reported to be in critical condition, our Dinajpur correspondent reports. It could not be known whether there were any Indian casualties.

During the firefight locals held BSF Sub-inspector Om Prokash who allegedly trespassed into Bangladesh territory. BDR later handed him over to BSF.

BDR Director (training and operations) Col Abdul Haleem during a press conference at the BDR headquarters in the afternoon said a patrol team of BDR 15 Battalion was patrolling near Haripara. A BSF team also was patrolling on the other side of the border there.

He said BSF troops and the BDR patrol team were involved in an exchange of heated words near the zero line of the border regarding the cutting of a barbed wire fence.

At one stage, one BSF personnel behind the BSF team started shooting without provocation around 9:20am, the colonel said. He said the commander of the BDR patrol team was injured in that incident and the BDR team retaliated with gunfire.

Both border forces increased their presence near the area following the incident and exchanged bullets. During the battle, villagers held Om Prokash in Bangladesh territory and handed him over to BDR.

BSF Sector Commander of Malda around 11:00am requested a ceasefire over telephone to his counterpart BDR Dinajpur Sector Commander Col Rezaul Kabir.

Around 2:00pm the two parties hoisted white flags and ended the shootings.

Kabir, along with six BDR high officials, sat in a flag meeting at 3:30pm with their counterparts on no man’s land. Sources said the meeting ended at 4:45pm with an amicable solution.

“BDR personnel, however, have been put on high alert to avoid any more untoward incidents,” one BDR source said.