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AKHAURA BORDER SHOOTOUT

Dhaka, Delhi trade blames

Panic lingers though BSF promises not to intrude again

STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Bangladesh and India yesterday blamed each other for opening fire and thus starting the border skirmishes at Akhaura on Saturday leaving a Bangladeshi minor and an Indian security personnel dead.
Panic still ran high at Hirapur village, Saturday's trouble spot, with most of the villagers staying away from home.
Suspension of Dhaka-Agartala bus service and border trade
through Akhaura land port were the immediate damage wreaked by the latest round of border violence.
While Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) made it clear that the trouble ensued after Border Security Force (BSF) of India had opened fire on Bangladeshi villagers, the Indian government, through its high commission in Dhaka, claimed BDR first started shooting at BSF men, who were well inside Indian territory. New Delhi also condemned what it dubbed the brutal killing of a BSF
assistant commandant.
However, a flag meeting last night, the third since Saturday's shootout, resolved that BSF in future will not enter Bangladeshi territory.
After the meeting, 7 BDR battalion commandant Lieutenant Colonel Sayed Kamruzzaman told our Brahmanbaria correspondent that both the sides agreed to show restraint and BSF assured BDR of no future intrusion into Bangladeshi territory. BSF Tripura Range Deputy
SEE PAGE 15 COL 1 FROM PAGE 16
Inspector General RK Chowdhury and 131 BSF battalion commandant Mrettunjoy Kumar attended the flag meeting.
Talking to The Daily Star yesterday BDR Director General (DG) Major General Jahangir Alam Chowdhury posed the question, had BDR opened fire at BSF troops well inside Indian territory, how come the bodies of one BSF man killed and another injured were found 300 to 350 yards inside Bangladeshi territory.
Chowdhury, fresh from a four-day DG-level BDR-BSF meeting which rounded of in Dhaka Saturday, expressed frustration at the Indian claim of BDR opening fire at them.
Chowdhury said, rather, BSF men and many Indian civilians intruded into Bangladesh's territory at around 4:30 Saturday afternoon, terrorised a Bangladeshi village and BSF opened fire when BDR men went there to know the situation. The BDR DG yesterday informed the foreign secretary about the developments.
The Indian high commission in Dhaka in a press release yesterday expressed surprise at the news of fierce gunfight at Akhaura and claimed, "in actual fact, some villagers reported to the BSF Border Outpost at Lankamura, Tripura at 1630 Hrs. on 16.04.05 that an Indian national, Ramdhan Pal, had been abducted and taken forcibly into Bangladeshi territory." And then, it said, when BSF men rushed to the spot and tried to talk to BDR personnel, "instead of peacefully resolving the problem, the BDR, who were accompanied by armed Bangladeshi civilians, started firing on the BSF party who were almost 50 yards from the zero line, well within Indian territory."
The release alleged BSF Assistant Commandant Jeevan Kumar and Constable KK Surendran were dragged inside Bangladeshi territory and attacked by the BDR.
The BSF DG, who was in Dhaka on the day of occurrence, described the incident to Indian media as "a cruel and provocative act" and condemned it strongly, the release said.
AKHAURA STILL TENSE Our correspondent in Brahmanbaria reports: A very tense situation was prevailing yesterday in the bordering areas of Akhaura upazila.
Both BDR and BSF built up forces at the border following Saturday's attack and firing by BSF.
Earlier, two flag meetings were held at 9:15pm and 12 midnight on April 16. Later, the body of BSF AC Jeevan Kumar, 35, and injured BSF Constable Surendran, found 300 to 350 yards inside Bangladeshi territory, were handed over to the 131 BSF battalion commandant by 7 BDR battalion commandant.
One primary school student Nahid Akter, 10, daughter of Shahjada Bhuiyan of Lama Bari Kurepaika village, was gunned down by BSF.
According to BDR sources and villagers, the BDR jawans of Fokimura outpost arrested one Indian smuggler Ram Dhan Pal, 50, of Earmalunga village of Agartala, with 20 bottles of Phensedyle on Saturday afternoon. Then a team of BSF troops led by Jeevan Kumar along with over 100 Indian civilians illegally entered the Bangladesh's territory and attacked on six houses of Bangladeshi civilians, The intruders also looted cash and jewellery of gold.
On information BDR jawans headed by Constable M Imamul Hossain rushed to the spot. Seeing them approach, the BSF men started to fire away, prompting BDR troops to retaliate. The trading of bullets between the border forces continued from 5:00pm to 8:30pm.
During the long shootout, about 2,000 villagers of Hirapur and the adjoining areas including Kurepaika, Anwarpur Dholeshyariy, Barakuripaika, Nurpur, Abdullahpur, Kalekapur and Sahebnagar fled their homes and took shelter at Akhaura upazila headquarters and nearby villages.
The majority of the villagers were yet to return to their houses yesterday in fear of any fresh escalation in border violence. The houses were found under lock and key.
Shisu Mia and Khalilur Rahman of Hirapur village yesterday said their wives and wards fled their homes during the firing and were yet to return.
BSF KILLS ONE
IN DINAJPUR
Meanwhile, our correspondent in Dinajpur reports: One Bangladeshi farmer was shot dead by Indian BSF under Biral upazila in the district on Saturday morning. After the incident, BDR immediately sent protest letter to BSF.
The victim was identified as Mobarak Ali, 35, son of Kalimuddin of Baro Baiddanathpur village in Bijora union under Birol upazila.
After a flag meeting yesterday morning, BSF handed over the body to BDR.