Border talks begin in Kolkata today

Trackback URL

Download PDF

The border security forces of Bangladesh and India begin a four-day negotiation in Kolkata today amid persistent killings of Bangladeshis by Indian Border Security Force (BSF) that sparked military tension along the entire frontier area.

Five Bangladeshis, including two Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) jawans were killed by BSF since early Friday with the latest killing taking place at Benapole border early yesterday.

Both sides deployed reinforcements at all frontier posts keeping their forces alert, while shooting and killing by BSF continued, worsening the already volatile border tension between the two neighbouring countries.

The deputy director general (DDG) level meet between BDR and BSF is expected to discuss the issue of killings at the borders as the BDR delegation will raise the latest incidents strongly, asking their counterpart for an explanation.

”Killings of BDR personnel and unarmed Bangladeshi civilians by BSF and Indian nationals at the borders will be on the top of the agenda,” said a senior BDR official.

Intrusion by BSF and Indian nationals into Bangladesh territory by violating the international border, combating cross-border drug trafficking, arrest of Bangladeshis by BSF and its denial to take back Indian nationals on completion of imprisonment in Bangladeshi jails are expected to be discussed at the talk.

“Construction of bunkers and renovation of proposed roads by BSF within 150 metres of the no man’s land without the consent of Bangladesh will also be on the agenda,” said a BDR news release.

Meanwhile, tension at the border was heightened a few notches after BSF brutally killed yet another Bangladeshi at Sadipur border under Benapole early yesterday.

Our Benapole correspondent reported quoting local residents that BSF men bayoneted to death an unidentified young Bangladeshi man early yesterday and left the body in a bordering field.

Being informed, Benapole port police recovered the body and sent it to Jessore Sadar Hospital for autopsy.

Officer-in-Charge Omar Sharif of the police station said there were numerous marks of torture on the body.

Local villagers said BSF also put out an alert at the border and issued an order to shoot at sight at night, causing panic among the villagers.

Tension has been mounting between the border security forces of the two neighbours after a group of BSF guards had intruded into Bangladesh territory and shot dead two BDR jawans at Chapainawagnaj border after being challenged by the latter early Friday.

The next afternoon, BSF again gunned down two Bangladeshi cattle traders without any provocation at Chougacha-Jessore border and took the bodies away.

BDR DDG Brig Gen MA Bari will lead a 12-member delegation to the meet, which includes the commanders of Rajshahi, Khulna, Dinajpur, Kushtia and Rangpur sectors.

Inspector General of BSF’s North Bengal Frontier SCV Murali will lead his 16-member team.

Our Dinajpur correspondent reported that security was stepped up at Thakurgaon frontier yesterday. BDR announced the heightened alert through loudspeakers there asking local people to refrain from going near the no man’s land.

Commanding Officer of the 20th Battalion of BDR Lt Col S Shahed visited different frontiers alerting his forces.

Terming the killings ‘unacceptable’, Foreign Secretary Touhid Hossain, on his return from New Delhi, said he raised with his Indian counterpart the killings of 73 Bangladeshis by BSF this year.

“I told them that India is our friend, and killing of such a large number of civilians is unacceptable,” he told reporters at the foreign ministry after returning for a bilateral talk with his counterpart.

He said the Indian side recognised Dhaka’s concern and a mechanism will be worked out at the next home secretary level meeting scheduled for August in a bid to put a stop to such killings at the border.

Terming the killing of two BDR personnel in Chapainawabganj unwarranted, Touhid said the foreign ministry lodged a strong protest with the Indian government against the incident.

The killing of two BDR jawans coincided with the recent foreign-secretary level talk in Delhi where both sides promised to cooperate in combating cross-border terrorism.

Leave a Reply