One Indian border official killed in Indo-Bangla skirmish
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Guwahati, April 17, IRNA
India-Pakistan
At least one Indian Border Security Force (BSF) official was killed and three more critically wounded by Bangladeshi frontier guards in heavy fighting between the two sides, officials said on Sunday.
A BSF spokesman said Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) soldiers late Saturday opened random gunfire on the Indian post of Lankamura, eight kilometers from Agartala, the capital of the northeastern state of Tripura.
"We lost an Assistant Commandant in the attack. Two of our soldiers and a civilian were seriously injured in the gunfire," senior BSF official S K Sood told IRNA by telephone from Agartala.
"The attack was unprovoked and lasted for close to five hours." The BSF official said Bangladeshi troops opened fire after Indian soldiers questioned their counterparts for abducting an Indian border villager.
"Without any rhyme or reason they (BDR soldiers) resorted to heavy gunfire when our soldiers wanted to know why they took away one of our villagers by trespassing into Indian territory," another BSF official said.
India and Bangladesh share a 4,095-kilometer border, of which 856 km falls within Tripura - a vast stretch of the border remaining unfenced with concrete pillars dividing the two countries.
The firing stopped after a flag meeting between top BSF and BDR officials late Saturday.
India Sunday sounded a maximum alert along the border with BSF reinforcements being made to counter possible Bangladeshi attacks.
"Life in the border is a little tense with villagers tentative in going about their daily life," R.P Sharma, a BSF commandant in the area, said.
The BSF official said there were at least five separate incidents of "unwarranted firing" by BDR soldiers on civilians and security personnel along the state of Tripura since March.
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::IRNA No.018 17/04/2005 12:31 --End
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