BSF, BDR trade fire in S Dinajpur

Manas R Bannerjee

MALDA, Jan. 16: The Border Security Force (BSF) and Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) personnel exchanged bullets on the issue of cattle smuggling at Jamalpur village under Mathurapur border outpost in South Dinajpur district early this morning, officials said. Deputy inspector general of BSF, Malda sector, Mr Dharamvir Saraswat, said that the BDR personnel fired more than 100 rounds within five minutes around 5.30 am, prompting the BSF jawans to retaliate.“It was the BDR’s well-planned firing in connivance with the Bangladeshi cattle smugglers. We had to fire 12 rounds in retaliation”, Mr Saraswat, said. The BSF officials said that a group of Bangladeshi cattle smugglers sneaked into the Indian territory last night and were taking away a herd of cattle with the help of the Indian smugglers at dawn, braving the curfew imposed by the South Dinajpur district administration in the area. Mr Brajesh Mishra, company commandant, 115 battalion, BSF, discussed the issue with the in-charge of 29 battalion of BDR, Cornel Samim, over telephone, and urged him to maintain cease-fire. Mr Mishra also requested the BDR official to hold a flag meeting over the issue, Mr Saraswat, said. “We are also planning to send a protest letter to the BDR officials, besides requesting them to hold company commandant level meeting on the issue,” Mr Saraswat, said.He, however, said that situation is under control now at the Mathurapur border outpost that witnessed the gunbattle between the border guards of the two countries early this morning. The South Dinajpur SP, Mr KK Mallick, said that in two separate incidents, the BSF jawnas killed two cattle smugglers in the Hilli and Kushmundi police station areas last night.It may be recalled that in November last year, Mr Saraswat had written a letter to senior BDR officials, accusing them of helping cattle smugglers along the Indo-Bangla border.