BGB member killed in BSF firing at Benapole border

TBS Report

23 January, 2024, 12:45 pm

Last modified: 23 January, 2024, 12:51 pm

A 'pilot project' of this new fence is also being tested at a 7-km stretch in Assam's Silchar along India's border with Bangladesh/ HT Photo

A member of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), who sustained injuries after being shot by India's Border Security Force (BSF) along the Dhanyokhola-Jelepara border in Jashore's Benapole upazila early today, died while undergoing treatment in India.

The deceased Mohammad Rais Uddin, 35, hailed from Chapainawabganj was posted at the BGB-49 Battalion in Jashore, said a media release signed by Lt Col Md Jamil, commander of the 49 Battalion.

According to BGB, the body of the deceased is currently kept at the Bangaon Mortuary in West Bengal, India, and is expected to be handed over to Bangladesh following a flag meeting scheduled for tomorrow.

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Lieutenant Colonel Md Jamil, on behalf of BGB, said that during a battalion-level flag meeting, a protest letter has been officially dispatched to BSF demanding thorough and impartial investigation into the incident.

He further highlighted ongoing communication efforts aimed at facilitating the prompt repatriation of the deceased individual's body to Bangladesh.

As per the press release, a patrol team of the paramilitary force challenged a gang of cattle smugglers when they were intruding into Bangladesh from India, adjacent to Jelepara post area under the Benapole upazila, around 5:30am on Monday.

At one stage of the chase, the smugglers went back inside Indian territory, it reads, adding that BGB personnel Raisuddin got separated from the patrol team amid dense fog.

Though initially he was not found, later it was known through several sources that he was injured in BSF firing and was undergoing treatment in an Indian hospital.

Some residents of local Jaliapara said that they heard at least 7-8 gunshots on Monday morning. Later in the day, a young man's bullet-ridden body was found lying on the other side of the border.

Shortly after the incident, a bilateral flag meeting on commander level was held between the BGB and the BSF, according to the release. He died while undergoing treatment in the hospital, it was confirmed.

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