From bd newsThursday, December 16, 2010Over 500 armed Khasia men enter Bangladesh thru' Protappur point
Staff Correspondent, Sylhet
Over 500 Indian Khasia tribesmen armed with bows and arrows entered about 150 yards into Bangladesh territory through Protappur border on Tuesday evening, causing serious turmoil in the area.
Staff Correspondent, Sylhet
Over 500 Indian Khasia tribesmen armed with bows and arrows entered about 150 yards into Bangladesh territory through Protappur border on Tuesday evening, causing serious turmoil in the area.
The intruders, however, returned to the other side of the border shortly afterwards as over a thousand Bangladeshi people of bordering villages chased them away.
Three Bangladeshis sustained injuries from arrows during the incident.
Against the backdrop of the untoward incident, officials of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) and Indian Border Security Force (BSF) at an emergency flag meeting yesterday agreed to maintain status quo on Protappur-Padua border and others areas on Sylhet-Meghalaya borders to ensure smooth run of the ongoing survey in the troubled frontier.
Lt Col Khairul Quadir, commanding officer of the 21 Battalion of BDR, Sylhet, and Shekhar Gupta, commandant of the 1 Battalion of BSF, took part in the one to one meeting held near border pillar No 1270/2S, close to Pantumai village near Protappur-Padua border. After the one-hour meeting that ended at 1:30pm, both the officials visited the troubled areas.
"The BSF official expressed sorrow for Tuesday's incident. I requested him to keep the tribesmen and the BSF under control to help successful completion of the ongoing survey on the adversely possessed lands in the region. We also assured them of remaining on our own positions," Lt Col Quadir told this correspondent after the meeting.
Meanwhile, the inhabitants of several villages including Pantumai, Baburkona and Protappur are now passing days amid worry.
"A tense situation has been prevailing on the Protappur-Padua borders since Tuesday night as the BDR and BSF have strengthened their positions and increased patrol on the border," Md Nozir Ali, 60, of Pantumai village said.
"Only a few years ago, we used to cultivate the lands, but now we cannot even graze our cattle due to interference by the Indians. Indian Khasia tribesmen and the BSF men asked us not to go there. Often they pick up our goats and cows," said Moksud Miah, 25, of nearby Uttar Protappur village.
Visiting Protappur-Padua border yesterday afternoon, this correspondent saw BDR and BSF on alert position on the different outposts and observation posts along the border.
Tuesday's incident is seen as a break into the calm that prevailed since beginning of India-Bangladesh joint survey on about 20 kilometre border from Sonarhat to Dibir Haor in Gowainghat, Kanaighat and Jaintapur upazilas in Sylhet district on December 7.
Officials yesterday visited some points on Protappur-Padua border for survey.
Contacted, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Rev) Dr Abul Hasan, who is heading the Bangladesh survey team, said, "The survey teams from both sides saw different documents and discussed it. The survey will remain suspended till Monday due to holidays. It is scheduled to continue till December 31. There may be an extension, if needed."
Meanwhile, little work was done for survey on the much-talked Dibir Haor border in Jaintapur upazila yesterday.
Earlier the Indian tribesmen had opposed the survey, claiming about 50 acres of Bangladesh lands as belonging to them.
The Indians also pressed for suspending survey on Sonarhat-Lankhat border, where about 80 acres of Bangladesh lands had been in the Indians' possession for the last few years.
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