| Submit your comments on this article |
| Bangladesh |
| Bangla bullets kill jawan, injure villager |
| 2008-07-24 |
| Miliksultanpur (Malda), July 23: A BSF jawan about to go on leave was shot dead by the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) in this border village at dawn today, sparking off a fierce exchange of fire throughout the day. BDR bullets also hit a villager in the leg. Miliksultanpur is located on the border in Kaliachak, around 45km from Malda town. The BDR firing is being interpreted by the BSF as retaliation to an incident near the border at Nimtita in the adjacent Murshidabad district last Thursday in which an injured Indian jawan shot and killed two Bangladesh border guards. Sitaram Rawat, the company commandant of the BSF’s 123 Battalion posted in Malda’s Mahadipur, said the BDR suddenly opened fire about 5.30am today, killing K.G. Sudershan, 40, a jawan with the Indian border guards. “The jawan was hit by several bullets on his chest and back and he died while being taken to the Malda district hospital,” said Rawat. The injured villager, Sunil Mondol, has been admitted to the same hospital with a wound on his left leg. Malda district magistrate Chittaranjan Das said Sudershan was supposed to go back to his home in Kerala today. “He had served the paramilitary force for nearly two decades,” said Das. Rawat claimed that there was a connection between the incidents in Nimtita and Miliksultanpur. “In Nimtita, the BDR had first shot and injured our jawan, who was challenging cattle smugglers. He retaliated and killed two of them. Today’s incident is an instance of revenge killing.” The commandant added that the firing was planned. “The BDR men were hiding in a field of corn in plainclothes and suddenly started firing at our jawans,” he said. Additional BSF personnel armed with mortars, machine guns and grenades were sent to Miliksultanpur after today’s incident. The entire border has been sealed and traffic along the road to the trade post of Mahadipur on the Bangladesh border has been stopped. Local MLA Biswanath Ghosh said he had a narrow escape when he visited the spot later in the day. “I was greeted by a hail of bullets and had to return quickly,” Ghosh said. The commandant of the BSF camp at Kahnchantar, D. Khare, said his car was also caught in gunfire from the Bangladesh side when he arrived at Miliksultanpur. “We had to drive off the road to avoid getting hit,” Khare said. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #1 Jawans.... aren't they the little dudes in the robes that sell droids? |
| Posted by: Abu do you love 2008-07-24 21:52 |