By: LakshmiPS
Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB) officials on Thursday confirmed that they were forced to fire back in self-defence after Indian Border Security Force (BSF) started firing and “forcibly tried to take the detained fisherman”.
The Indian soldiers “got angry and opened fire and they drove their speedboat back to India by firing all the way. Then the (Border Guard Bangladesh) patrol team fired back in self-defence,” the BGB said.
The Indian border force named the slain maritime officer as Head Constable Vijay Bhan Singh. A second guard was taken to hospital, where he was fighting for his life.
Bangladesh said officials from both sides met after the incident and agreed to investigate the encounter and hold future talks.
Illegal fishing is not uncommon in the Sunderbans, a UNESCO world heritage site which straddles the border of India and Bangladesh and is famous for its mangrove forest.
Thousands of people fish in the area around the year. Fishermen detained on both sides are usually released after talks between border officials.
Border relations between India and Bangladesh have been good, and this is the first fatal incident in recent times.
In July 2008 Indian security forces shot dead two Bangladeshi border guards while on patrol along the northwestern frontier.
Bangladesh Rifles chief Major General Shakil Ahmed told AFP at the time that the two guards were caught in a sudden midnight attack by Indian security personnel.
Earlier, in August 2005, guards on both sides exchanged fire over repairs on the Mahananda river, in West Bengal, with no casualties.
(With AFP inputs)
