Bangladesh Rifles kill two women in border firing
Dated 10/8/2006
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Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) soldiers started unprovoked firing across the Indo-Bangladesh border in lower Assam killing atleast 2 women. BDR targetted villagers in Tukaram and Bhanga.
India's Border Security Force (BSF) retaliated the Bangladeshi assault killing atleast 5 BDR soldiers. The incident took place early morning between 5 and 7 AM in the border village of Kinokhal.
"At around 22:30 hrs Wednesday, the 38 battalion of the BDR at Amalsid and Uttarkul opened unprovoked and heavy volume of fire on Indian border guards at Harinagar and Kinokhal.
The BDR used Universal Machine guns, and heavy machine guns, besides 60 mm and 82 mm mortar shells during the encounter that continued through out the night," Suresh Kumar Dutta, the Inspector General (IG) of the Border Security Force (BSF), in charge of the Tripura Mizoram and Silchar frontiers, told reporters.
"BSF troops also retaliated. At around 5.40 a.m., BDR personnel deployed at the Amalsid border outpost (BOP), started firing on the BSF BOP and at villagers staying at Tukugram and Bhanga. Two civilian ladies died and one child was seriously injured after a mortar bomb hit a house," he added.
The deceased have been identified as Shanta Dey and Sabita Dey. Both were residents of Kinokhal village.
While there has been no report of any BSF casualty, the BDR suffered five casualties when a BSF mortar landed in a BDR pit.
Tension still prevails in that area and villagers have started leaving the the village for a safer place. Meantime, a red alert has been sounded around the 4096 km Indo-Bangladesh border.
Unprovoked firing from the BDR last took place on June 28. At that time, over 200 acres of land was forcibly acquired by the BDR, but returned to the rightful owners after a flag meeting between border officers on July 4.
Bangladesh has increasingly become a regional hub of islamic extremism and terrorism and the ruling Islamist party in Dhaka has forever maintained an hawkish attitude towards India.
Border violence initiated by the BDR has become common during the past 5-7 years and with India fencing off the border to curb illegal immigration, such attacks have become increasingly more frequent to prevent the fencing process.