Tension at Lalmonirhat border as residents fear fresh attack by BSF

People in Lalmonirhat’s Durgapur, near the border with India, are living in fear two days after the neighbouring country’s Border Security Force (BSF) personnel crossed the barbed wire fence and shot dead a Bangladeshi national.

Senior CorrespondentLalmonirhat Correspondent and bdnews24.com
Published : 10 Oct 2015, 08:59 PM
Updated : 10 Oct 2015, 08:59 PM

Panic spread among the locals on Saturday evening after BSF troopers intensified patrolling on their side of the border by setting up searchlights focused on Bangladesh’s side, said Durgapur Union Chairman Salekujjaman Pramanik.
 
Around 1am on Sunday, he told bdnews24.com: “Menfolk of the area are patrolling the streets with wooden sticks and local weapons fearing that BSF troopers may enter into Bangladesh again.”
 
A Border Guard Bangladesh official said they had also beefed up security in that area since the evening.
 
On Thursday night, a Bangladeshi died after BSF troopers crossed the border chasing some cattle smugglers and opened fire, locals and BGB officials said.
 
The BSF team had crossed around 350 yards from the zero line and tried to snatch cattle from them, leading to a clash.
 
The BSF troopers at one point started shooting and eventually went back with four cows.
 
Five people were injured in the shooting. One of them died at Rangpur Medical College Hospital on Friday morning while undergoing treatment.
 
Lalmonirhat-15 BGB battalion Commander Lt Col Ahmed Bazlur Rahman Hayati told bdnews24.com that they held a flag meeting with BSF at Durgapur border on Friday afternoon after the incident.
 
As the BGB protested the shooting inside Bangladeshi territory, the BSF had assured of looking into the mater, he said.
 
Around 7pm Saturday, the BSF heightened security in 10 kilometres area from Pillar No. 22 to 27 of the border, Chairman Salekujjaman Pramanik said.  
Many residents, mostly women and children, left their houses in the locality and moved to safer areas after that, he said.
 
Border killing has been a thorny bilateral issue between the neighbours. The Indian border guards have often been criticised for their actions and dubbed ‘trigger-happy’ by rights group.
 
Delhi had promised to curb border deaths and provide ‘non-lethal’ weapons to its troopers but the situation has not improved yet.