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India accuses Bangladesh of massing troops along border
Guwahati, India, Aug 11, IRNA
India-Bangladesh-Firing
India Friday accused Dhaka of massing troops along its border in the northeastern state of Assam, a day after two Indian women were killed in heavy mortar attacks by Bangladesh, officials said.
"We have been getting reports of troop build-up by Bangladesh with tension continuing to mount in the border area that witnessed heavy mortar attacks," S.K. Datta, Inspector General of India's Border Security Force (BSF), said.
Bangladeshi soldiers Thursday attacked three Indian border posts with both flat trajectory weapons and mortars killing two Indian women and seriously wounding two others near Kinorkhal village, about 350 kilometers south of Assam's main city of Guwahati.
There were about 70 mortars fired by Bangladesh damaging houses and shops in the area, besides using universal machineguns, carbines and other automatic weapons.
On the Bangladesh side, at least seven civilians were wounded in attacks by the BSF, Syed Rezaul Gani, a spokesman for Bangladesh Rifles, was quoted as saying.
Both sides accused each other of provoking the clash.
"Never did the border witness such heavy mortar attacks before.
The firing from across the border was unprovoked with Bangladeshi soldiers opening fire on us", the BSF official said.
There were no reports of clashes overnight with BSF soldiers put on maximum alert in the area.
"We are not taking any chances and ready to challenge if Bangladesh resorts to firing once again", Datta said.
At least 1,500 Indian villagers residing in four hamlets close to the firing range fled their homes Thursday and were sheltered in makeshift relief camps set up by the Assam government.
"There is tension in the area although some villagers were now moving back from the relief camps", Cachar district magistrate Gautam Ganguly said by telephone.
India and Bangladesh share a 4,095 km long border of which 272 km falls within Assam.
Nearly 70 percent of the border along Assam has been fenced with barbed wire.
Soldiers of the two countries clashed in June near the same area with both sides exchanging heavy firing.
The immediate provocation for the June 28 firing was over a strip of land measuring 216 acres near the Surma river which Bangladesh claims is their territory.
India maintains the land is not disputed and falls on the Indian side.
The Assam government last month charged Dhaka of illegally grabbing two sq km of Indian land in western and southern parts of the state.
India has previously charged that Bangladeshi citizens enter Indian territory illegally across the porous border.
Bangladesh denies its nationals cross illegally into India.
The two countries' border forces have clashed over the issue in the past.
Sixteen Indian and three Bangladeshi soldiers were killed in 2001 in the deadliest such battle in Assam and Meghalaya.
2160/1420
---> India-Bangladesh-Firing
http://www.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-20/0608110117144946.htm
Guwahati, India, Aug 11, IRNA
India-Bangladesh-Firing
India Friday accused Dhaka of massing troops along its border in the northeastern state of Assam, a day after two Indian women were killed in heavy mortar attacks by Bangladesh, officials said.
"We have been getting reports of troop build-up by Bangladesh with tension continuing to mount in the border area that witnessed heavy mortar attacks," S.K. Datta, Inspector General of India's Border Security Force (BSF), said.
Bangladeshi soldiers Thursday attacked three Indian border posts with both flat trajectory weapons and mortars killing two Indian women and seriously wounding two others near Kinorkhal village, about 350 kilometers south of Assam's main city of Guwahati.
There were about 70 mortars fired by Bangladesh damaging houses and shops in the area, besides using universal machineguns, carbines and other automatic weapons.
On the Bangladesh side, at least seven civilians were wounded in attacks by the BSF, Syed Rezaul Gani, a spokesman for Bangladesh Rifles, was quoted as saying.
Both sides accused each other of provoking the clash.
"Never did the border witness such heavy mortar attacks before.
The firing from across the border was unprovoked with Bangladeshi soldiers opening fire on us", the BSF official said.
There were no reports of clashes overnight with BSF soldiers put on maximum alert in the area.
"We are not taking any chances and ready to challenge if Bangladesh resorts to firing once again", Datta said.
At least 1,500 Indian villagers residing in four hamlets close to the firing range fled their homes Thursday and were sheltered in makeshift relief camps set up by the Assam government.
"There is tension in the area although some villagers were now moving back from the relief camps", Cachar district magistrate Gautam Ganguly said by telephone.
India and Bangladesh share a 4,095 km long border of which 272 km falls within Assam.
Nearly 70 percent of the border along Assam has been fenced with barbed wire.
Soldiers of the two countries clashed in June near the same area with both sides exchanging heavy firing.
The immediate provocation for the June 28 firing was over a strip of land measuring 216 acres near the Surma river which Bangladesh claims is their territory.
India maintains the land is not disputed and falls on the Indian side.
The Assam government last month charged Dhaka of illegally grabbing two sq km of Indian land in western and southern parts of the state.
India has previously charged that Bangladeshi citizens enter Indian territory illegally across the porous border.
Bangladesh denies its nationals cross illegally into India.
The two countries' border forces have clashed over the issue in the past.
Sixteen Indian and three Bangladeshi soldiers were killed in 2001 in the deadliest such battle in Assam and Meghalaya.
2160/1420
---> India-Bangladesh-Firing
http://www.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-20/0608110117144946.htm
