Shillong: The Border Security Force has lodged a protest with Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) after two BSF officials were assaulted by Bangladeshis inside Indian territory at Rongara in Meghalaya’s South Garo Hills district on Saturday last.
BSF officials Bipul R Sangma and Dinanath Rai from Shillong sector were assaulted by Bangladeshis. The two officials are out of danger, BSF officials added.
“We have lodged a protest note with the BGB and lodged an FIR with the Meghalaya police,” BSF Inspector General Meghalaya frontier, Inderjit Singh Rana, said on Monday.
He said whenever such incidents happen on the international border, there is a laid down policy on dealing with such unpleasant situations.
“It’s a matter of investigation and that is why we have lodged a protest with the BGB. We are not sure who has assaulted them,” Rana added.
Asked how Bangladeshis could intrude into Indian territory, assault BSF officials and return to Bangladesh, Rana said there are a lot of gaps on the international border with Bangladesh.
Stating that only 80 per cent of the border with Bangladesh is fenced and in many portions, the areas have remained unfenced due to the terrain and other factors, Rana said, “Smugglers and traffickers try to sneak in through these gaps. However, we are ensuring that we plug these gaps with active policing.”
“We don’t have a shortage of manpower and we are actively managing the border with various electronic gadgets,” the BSF IG said.
Asked if Jihadi elements can sneak also sneak, Rana said, the BSF is actively working with the state police and coordinating to foil any such attempt.
“We have lot of coordination meetings with the state police and other agencies on this matter,” the BSF official said while refusing to divulge further.
Rana said that the BSF has raised the matter with the BGB. “They are always cooperating whenever we raised our concerns on the issue of infiltration and exfiltration,” he said.
