1 BSF jawan killed, another injured as Bangladesh troops open fire near West Bengal border

The incident comes as a jolt since relations between the Bangladesh and India border forces have been very cordial, with no bullet being fired for decades.

BSF jawans | Representational Image | Flickr

Kolkata/New Delhi: A Border Security Force (BSF) jawan was shot dead and another was critically injured Thursday after a patrol boat came under heavy fire by troopers of the Border Guard of Bangladesh (BGB).

The incident took place after five BSF troopers were returning to their border post from a flag meeting with the BGB commanders over the arrest of three Indian fishermen off the India-Bangladesh international border.

The “apparent high handedness” of the BGB troops has led to tension between the two sides with BSF chief V.K. Johri calling up his counterpart Major General Shafeenul Islam over hotline, PTI reported.

The BGB Director General has assured a through probe of the incident, officials said.

This incident is an aberration and efforts are being made to ensure that the situation does not deteriorate, official sources said. The relations between the two forces that guard the 4,096-km long international border have been very cordial and no bullet has been fired between them for decades.

This incident comes a week after Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina held bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and border forces were directed to practise restraint during any cross-border issues.

The incident

Head Constable Vijay Bhan Singh, a 50-year-old security personnel from Uttar Pradesh, died on the boat itself from bullet injuries to his head while the boatman, constable Rajvir Yadav, sustained injuries to his right hand. Yadav deftly saved the boat from drowning and managed to bring it to the Indian side, PTI reported.

According to a BSF statement, three Indian fishermen crossed the border and entered Padma river looking for Hilsa fish. The boat was intercepted and fishermen detained by a BGB patrol. Two of them were later sent to the BSF outpost to inform the post commander of a flag meeting at the BGB post.

The post commander and five troopers approached the BGB in the water channel of river Padma near Boundary Pillar 75/7-S around 10:30 am. At the meeting, the BGB refused to release the fishermen; it is standard practice to release fishermen after a flag meeting.

Sensing trouble, the BSF troops attempted to return but their boat was blocked by the BGB. The BSF boat tried to speed when the BGB troopers opened fire at them. Around seven to eight rounds were fired, said sources in the BSF.

A fisherman, identified as Pranab Mandal of Shirochar village, is stated to be in the custody of the BGB until now.

“Senior officials of both the forces are at the spot. Meeting is going on,” said Ajit Tete, DIG, Operations, BSF.

The two forces meet biannually and the last time the DG-level talks took place between them was in June at the BGB’s headquarter at Pilkhana in Dhaka.

This is the second time in 14 years the BGB has turned hostile ⁠— in April 2005, an assistant BSF commandant was abducted from a flag meeting by the BGB and hacked to death.

Given the largely friendly bilateral ties, the BSF has been directed to exercise restraint and use non-lethal weapons to stop cross-border crime, smuggling and infiltration. However, in since 2014, five BSF jawans were killed by smugglers while at least 385 jawans were grievously injured.