While India and Bangladesh enjoy excellent diplomatic relationship, intrusion by armed Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) personnel at a village in Meghalaya has created tension along the international border.
According to reports, a group of BGB personnel on Saturday afternoon intruded into the Indian territory and stopped the construction of an internal road at Muktapur in Meghalaya’s West Jaintia district.
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While the road was being constructed by the Muktapur Village Council, the villagers are confused as to why the BGB personnel had to intrude into their village and threaten them.
“Don’t understand why the BSF jawans allowed the BGB personnel to enter our village,” John Buam, a resident of Muktapur told Northeast Now, adding that the Meghalaya government should take up the matter immediately with New Delhi.
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Sanjit Lakuna, another resident of Muktapur said villagers were shocked when the BGB personnel entered the Indian territory to threaten the villagers.
Kuldeep Saini, Inspector-General (Meghalaya Frontier) of the Border Security Force (BSF) confirmed the report of BGB personnel crossing the zero line, and entering Muktapur village.
“They (BGB personnel) wanted to stop the villagers from constructing a road within the 150 yards from the zero line,” Saini said, adding that situation along the border is under control.
All the Border Out-Posts (BOPs) along the 442-km long Bangladesh border is on alert, and there is no more scope for intrusion by BGB personnel, Saini said.
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However, villagers in Muktapur are worried that the BGB personnel may continue to terrorise them, and may even try to intrude at night.
The villagers said, on April 16, 2001, a battalion of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), the earlier avatar of BGB, had intruded into Pyrdiwah, a tribal border village, located about 30 kms west of Muktapur.
The BDR personnel had occupied the village for more than 72 hours.
Later, the BSF had to mobilise huge force to push back the BDR personnel from Pyrdiwah village.
“Let us hope the BGB is not trying to repeat a Pyrdiwah-like adventurism in Muktapur as well,” Buam said.