India warns Bangladesh of border skirmishes
Guwahati, April 18 -- India has warned Bangladesh not to escalate border tension by indulging in unprovoked attack, officials Monday informed IRNA correspondent. The warning follows heavy firing by Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) on an Indian Border Security Force (BSF) post in the northeastern state of Tripura over the weekend. A senior BSF officer was killed and three more, including two soldiers and an Indian civilian, were seriously wounded in the attack by BDR.
"We are so far exercising maximum restraint but will be forced to take strong action against such criminal activities. Unprovoked attack and escalation of tension in the border areas is not healthy for building a friendly atmosphere between the two nations," Ranjit Shekhar Mooshahary, BSF Director General, told journalists in Assam's main city of Guwahati.
"We have adequate BSF soldiers in the border to meet any challenge."
The border firing on Saturday that lasted for close to five hours took place as Mooshahary was holding a high-level meeting with his BDR counterpart in Dhaka.
"An Indian national ploughing his field in our territory was forcibly dragged to the other side by some Bangladeshi nationals backed by BDR soldiers.
When a BSF sentry tried to intervene, he was fired upon," the BSF chief said.
"When senior BSF officials led by an Assistant Commandant tried to defuse the situation, they were attacked with sharp weapons and the BDR later shot dead our team leader."
A flag meeting between senior BSF and BDR officials is scheduled for later Monday in Tripura with the situation in the border said to be tense after the heavy exchange of gunfire.
"During our meeting in Dhaka we did not get a positive response in resolving important issues like handing over Indian militant leaders taking shelter in that country, destroying militant camps, and checking illegal migration from across the border,"
the BSF chief said.
The Indian side furnished a list of 190 camps run by northeastern separatist groups in Bangladesh - a charge Dhaka denies.
"Bangladesh denied presence of militant camps in their land although we have ample evidence to indicate that," Mooshahary said.
"Bangladesh, however, agreed on coordinated patrolling along the border with the BSF in the next three months."
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.
BSF officials 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.043 18/04/2005 15:15 --End
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