BSF, BDR trade gunshots
BSF kidnaps BDR soldier, returns after 10 hours
India's Border Security Force fired into the Bangladesh territory all day long in the Jaintapur border in Sylhet on Thursday and kidnapped a Bangladesh Rifles soldier in the morning.
Indian border guards returned the BDR soldier, nayek Mujibur Rahman, after a flag meeting in the evening and just before the flag meeting, guards of both the countries traded about 100 gun shots after the Indian side had attacked the Bangladesh Rifles.
Indian guards crossed 50 yards into the Bangladesh territory about 10:00am, shot at Mujibur without any provocation, kidnapped him at gunpoint and took him into India, BDR officials said.
Mujibur, along with four others, were on patrol in the border outpost area at the time. The incident took place when Mujibur's fellows trailed far behind him.
The Bangladesh border guards said two BSF soldiers had suddenly shot at Muzibur from close range inside the Bangladeshi territory at Bibir Haor near the Jaintapur BDR outpost, some 60km off the Sylhet city.
Immediately after the incident, villagers of Ghilatail, Fulbari, Kamlabari, Guabari, Kendrihaor and Bibirhaor surrounding the Jaintapur BDR outpost left their homesteads fearing fresh attack by the Indian guards, villagers said.
The BDR 21 battalion deputy commandant, Major Mamun, reached the place and urged the Border Security Force to sit at an urgent flag meeting to resolve the matter. 'But Indian border guard officials did not respond to our appeal at the time,' Mamun said.
The BDR 21 battalion commandant officer, Lieutenant Colonel Zahirul Alam, told New Age over telephone at 3:30pm they had waited till 3:00pm for the flag meeting with the Indian guards but the Border Security Force had made no response till then.
'The Border Security Force has later told us that they would meet at the Tamabil land port at 5:00pm and would return the BDR soldier,' he said.
The Border Security Force later agreed to hold a flag meeting with the Bangladesh Rifles but Indian guards suddenly started firing into the Bangladesh territory about 6:30pm, half an hour before the scheduled meeting at Tamabil.
The Bangladesh border guards fired back and guards of both the countries traded about 100 gunshots.
'Even after the kidnapping, we wanted to reach a peaceful solution at the meeting. But the BSF men aggressively attacked our forces before the flag meeting,' said Zahirul Alam.
After the flag meeting about 8:30pm, the Indian side returned Mujibur to the Bangladesh Rifles.
Bangladesh Rifles officials of the Sylhet sector were present in the Jaintapur frontier at the time, BDR officials said.
Lieutenant Colonel Zahirul after the flag meeting said he hoped there would be no further problems in the border.
A friendly sports competition between the border guards of two countries scheduled for Thursday in the Zakiganj border was postponed, BDR officials said.
Indian border guards returned the BDR soldier, nayek Mujibur Rahman, after a flag meeting in the evening and just before the flag meeting, guards of both the countries traded about 100 gun shots after the Indian side had attacked the Bangladesh Rifles.
Indian guards crossed 50 yards into the Bangladesh territory about 10:00am, shot at Mujibur without any provocation, kidnapped him at gunpoint and took him into India, BDR officials said.
Mujibur, along with four others, were on patrol in the border outpost area at the time. The incident took place when Mujibur's fellows trailed far behind him.
The Bangladesh border guards said two BSF soldiers had suddenly shot at Muzibur from close range inside the Bangladeshi territory at Bibir Haor near the Jaintapur BDR outpost, some 60km off the Sylhet city.
Immediately after the incident, villagers of Ghilatail, Fulbari, Kamlabari, Guabari, Kendrihaor and Bibirhaor surrounding the Jaintapur BDR outpost left their homesteads fearing fresh attack by the Indian guards, villagers said.
The BDR 21 battalion deputy commandant, Major Mamun, reached the place and urged the Border Security Force to sit at an urgent flag meeting to resolve the matter. 'But Indian border guard officials did not respond to our appeal at the time,' Mamun said.
The BDR 21 battalion commandant officer, Lieutenant Colonel Zahirul Alam, told New Age over telephone at 3:30pm they had waited till 3:00pm for the flag meeting with the Indian guards but the Border Security Force had made no response till then.
'The Border Security Force has later told us that they would meet at the Tamabil land port at 5:00pm and would return the BDR soldier,' he said.
The Border Security Force later agreed to hold a flag meeting with the Bangladesh Rifles but Indian guards suddenly started firing into the Bangladesh territory about 6:30pm, half an hour before the scheduled meeting at Tamabil.
The Bangladesh border guards fired back and guards of both the countries traded about 100 gunshots.
'Even after the kidnapping, we wanted to reach a peaceful solution at the meeting. But the BSF men aggressively attacked our forces before the flag meeting,' said Zahirul Alam.
After the flag meeting about 8:30pm, the Indian side returned Mujibur to the Bangladesh Rifles.
Bangladesh Rifles officials of the Sylhet sector were present in the Jaintapur frontier at the time, BDR officials said.
Lieutenant Colonel Zahirul after the flag meeting said he hoped there would be no further problems in the border.
A friendly sports competition between the border guards of two countries scheduled for Thursday in the Zakiganj border was postponed, BDR officials said.
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