Bangladeshi shot dead by BSF troops

A Bangladeshi cattle trader was shot dead by Indian Border Security Force members along Thakurgaon's Minapur border yesterday.

The dead is Jenarul, 30, of Taldangi village in the district's Haripur upazila.

BSF members opened fire on a group of Bangladeshi cattle traders around 5:00am inside their territory when the traders were returning with cattle, said Lt Col Gazi Nahiduzzaman, commanding officer of BGB Battalion-42 in Dinajpur.

Jenarul died on the spot while the others escaped unhurt, he said, adding that BSF immediately took the body away.

A 45-minute commanding officer-level meeting was held around 12:00 noon after the incident along the zero line.

In the meeting, the BGB strongly protested the killing and asked its Indian counterpart to return the body, said Lt Col Nahiduzzaman.

The BGB also urged BSF members to detain the nationals if they commit any crime on Indian land and hand them over to the BGB so that they can take actions against them in line with the country's law, he said.

The BSF, however, claimed that they were compelled to open fire on the intruders as they attacked them first. The BSF will return the body after completing formalities, said the BGB official.

On early Friday, another Bangladeshi was shot dead by the BSF on Ranishankholi border in Thakurgaon in a similar incident.