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Roundup: Delhi Deploys More Troops on Bangladesh-Indian Border
Tension continues along the northern border area of the country as the Border Security Force (BSF) of India has reportedly deployed more troops along the frontier.
Sources from the border said here Thursday that both the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) and the BSF have taken face to face position digging trenches. People living in the border areas of both countries have taken shelter at a safe distance.
Sixteen Indian border guards and two BDR soldiers were killed in a day-long fight between the two sides Wednesday. Three Indian border guards and two members of BDR injured in the clash were flown to Dhaka by helicopter on Wednesday afternoon.
Some 300 BSF men reportedly attacked northern Sunarhat and Padua border areas Wednesday and were repulsed by the BDR.
The clash occurred after some 1,000 BDR men last Sunday recaptured Padua village which was under the BSF occupation since the independence of Bangladesh in 1971.
The Bangladesh border guards claimed that they have established full control over Padua, a small village with some 230 acres of land. However, the Padua Camp on the soil of Bangladesh where 18 to 20 BSF personnel are staying, is still under Indian occupation.
Amidst continuous firing on the northern border areas, a two-hour flag meeting between BDR and BSF was held Wednesday which ended with the decision to maintain status quo.
Meanwhile, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Moni Lal Tripathy was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday to discuss says of defusing the present tension along the common borders.
Talking to newsmen afterwards, Foreign Secretary Syed Muazzem Ali said that during discussion with the Indian envoy "resumption of dialogue" has been emphasized to defuse the situation.
This tension must be defused forthwith, he stressed, adding such skirmishes are not unusual when the two countries share a huge border spanning several thousand kilometers and have "adverse possession" of territories.
The foreign secretary said the sector commanders of the two countries on the ground will soon sit to defuse the situation.
Various political organizations Wednesday have expressed concern over the clashes between the two countries and condemned the killing of BDR men by the Indian border guards.
They asked the government to lodge a protest with India against the attack and demand due compensation for the losses caused to Bangladesh.
Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Begum Khaleda Zia accused the government of pursuing a "subservient foreign policy" and called for taking up effective diplomatic steps to stop recurrence of such aggressive acts in future.
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