BSF jawan killed in firing by Bangladeshi troops

Berhampore/New Delhi: Tension has escalated between India and Bang-ladesh along the border after a Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB) soldier on Thursday killed a Border Security Force (BSF) head constable and injured another constable during a “meeting” between the two sides in Murshidabad area.

BSF chief V.K. Johri promptly took up the matter with his Bangladeshi counterpart, Maj. Gen. Shafeenul Islam, through hotline and registered a protest against such act of high-handedness. The BSF officials later briefed the home ministry and ministry of external affairs on this issue.

Sources in Indian security forces said that the trouble started on Thursday morning when three Indian fishermen were apprehended by the BGB while fishing in the Padma river in the border area. Of the three, two were asked to go and call BSF post commander at Kakmarichar (riverine border of the Padma river falls under this border outpost) for a flag meeting.

Around 10.30 am, the post commander of 117th battalion along with five BSF troopers approached BGB patrol in the water channel of the river to resolve the issue. During the ‘flag meeting’, the Indian side sought the release of its fisherman which the BGB patrol did not agree to and tried to gherao the BSF men when they were trying to return.

Sensing the situation worsening, the BSF party immediately turned back to return when one of the BGB soldiers fired at BSF head constable Vijoy Bhan’s, leading to his death on the spot while the boatman, constable R.S. Yadav, sustained bullet injury on his hand.