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Delhi denies border clashes with Bangladesh
Bangladesh's border force said three villagers were shot dead by Indian troops along the border between the two countries on Thursday, but Delhi denied there had been any firing on the long and porous frontier.
- Reuters
- Published: 00:52 February 1, 2008
Dhaka: Bangladesh's border force said three villagers were shot dead by Indian troops along the border between the two countries on Thursday, but Delhi denied there had been any firing on the long and porous frontier.
"The shootout occurred near Rothnai border demarcating Bangladesh from India's eastern state of West Bengal," an official of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) said.
Rothnai is some 500 kilometres northwest of the capital Dhaka.
Another BDR official quoted villagers as saying the victims were trying to cross the border when they were gunned down.
He said the border force had lodged a protest with Indian authorities and demanded the return of the bodies of the victims.
But the head of India's Border Security Force said there had been no shootout yesterday and instead accused Bangladesh border guards of opening fire on Wednesday in which an Indian schoolboy was killed.
Indian troops retaliated against the firing, A.K.Mitra, the head of the Border Security Force said. "We know three Bangladeshi soldiers were injured in the firing, everything else has been cooked up," Mitra said.
Despite friendly relations, Indian and Bangladeshi border guards often exchange fire along their 4,000-kilometre porous border that runs through rice fields, hills, jungles, marshes and rivers.
They accuse each other of targeting civilians on the frontier, which is known for rampant smuggling and illegal migration.
At least 16 Indian and three Bangladeshis were killed in a skirmish in northern Roumari border in 2001.
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