Bangladeshi incursions continue, BSF helpless

Bangladeshi miscreants, allegedly backed by Bangladesh Rifles, entered Indian territory twice this week along the international border in Meghalaya.

Over 50 Bangladeshi miscreants in boats entered India to pilfer stones near Bholaganj last Saturday, according to a Border Security Force report. The miscreants pelted stones at a BSF patrol party which challenged them. Two jawans were injured in the incident, a BSF personnel said.

BSF Inspector General (Assam and Meghalaya Frontier) Prithvi Raj told PTI on Friday that the BSF fired some six rounds in the air to disperse them. He added the BSF had lodged a protest with the Bangladesh Rifles over the incident.

In another instance on Thursday, miscreants from the neighbouring country, backed by the BDR, entered India through the Wah Umngot river near Dawki. They pelted stones on the BSF while it chased them. There have been two cases of intrusions this week from the Bangladeshi side backed by the Bangladesh Rifles, officials said.

The IG said, "One cannot stop such things; we can only minimize them. The BDR has assured us to prevent such incidents in future". Between July and August, four violations of status quo along the international border were reported as BDR troops obstructed Indian villagers from cultivating land and confronted BSF patrols in disputed areas along the Meghalaya border.

Raj said that the BDR had last month even made an attempt to stake claim over the disputed Pyrdiwah area, but later reconciled and agreed to maintain status-quo following protests by the BSF. After the violations by BDR, the BSF had confirmed that there was a troop build-up by the BDR on the other side prompting the Indian border forces to initiate 'tactical preparations'.

Following this week's incident, the Assembly of Hynniewtrep Nations, an organisation village of headmen, has strongly urged the central and state authorities to investigate the "serious breach of the border by the Bangladeshis". Alleging that BSF personnel were mere spectators to repeated intrusions, the organisation chairman J F Kharshiing, said in the statement that the people along the border were gripped by fear psychosis due to such incidents.