Indo-Bangla cross-fire stops, both
parties agree to maintain status quo
Sujit Chakraborty in Belonia (south Tripura)
India and Bangladesh today decided to maintain status-quo over the disputed 67.31-acre Muhurichar land along the Indo-Bangla border in south Tripura, as a three-day-long crossfire between the Border Security Force and the Bangladesh Rifles stopped last evening.
The decision to maintain status-quo was taken at a high-level meeting between BDR Director General Major General Ajijur Rahman, and BSF Inspector General
B C Goel held here today.
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, who along with his cabinet
colleagues visited trouble-torn Belonia on Monday, talked to Union
Home Minister L K Advani over the phone today and requested that the
matter be taken up with Dhaka.
The External Affairs Ministry on its part communicated India's views following BDR's firing on Indian farmers since Sunday to the Bangladesh high commissioner in New
Delhi. ''Dhaka quickly reacted to India's request to stop the
firing,'' an official said.
BDR jawans opened unprovoked firing on Indian farmers at Muhurichar under Belonia sub-division at about 1130 hrs IST on Sunday. BSF jawans immediately retaliated and
the exchange of fire continued till yesterday afternoon.
The 67.31-acre land at Muhurichar has remained a disputed area
since 1974 with both India and Bangladesh claiming the cultivable
tract as their own territory. Of it, 44.87 acre falls in the Indian
territory, while the rest is in Bangladesh's control.
At least six people, including a BSF jawan, were injured in the
BDR firing. They were now being treated at the government hospital
in Belonia and Udaipur.
Meanwhile, educational institutions and government offices, which were closed after the firing began, resumed work today.
UNI
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