Bridging the gap

Tripura Governor Dinesh Nandan Sahaya while visiting trouble-torn Indo-Bangla border with Tripura, where border skirmishes had led to the death of a BSF Assistant Commandant and injury of two jawans recently had urged to maintain cordial relations.

Mr Sahaya visited Akhaura checkpost and other Border Outposts (BOPs) and talked to the Border Security Force (BSF) and Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) jawans and told them about the necessity of maintaining cordial relation between the two neighbours. He was acccompanied by Tripura, Cachar and Mizoram(TCM) frontier Inspector General S K Datta and other senior BSF officials.

The Governor, the first Indian dignitary to visit the sensitive border areas after the border standoff, went inside the Bangladeshi territory through the Akhaura checkpost. BDR jawans accorded guard of honour and warm reception to Mr Sahay. The BDR officials assured the Tripura Governor that they will inquire the killing of BSF Assistant Commandant and injury of two other jawans and try to maintain a cordial relation with their Indian counterparts.

The Governor, while talking to newspersons at the border, said cordial relation should be maintained between the two border guards and the prevailing situation was very conducive to further improvement of the relation. He appreciated the role of BSF in maintaining a vigil along the border, despite various problems.  On April 16,  BSF Assistant Commandant Jiban Kumar was killed and four others, including two jawans, were seriously injured at Lankamura, outskirts of the capital city, when BDR jawans opened unprovoked fire on Indian border guards. Since then, tension had been prevailing along the Indo-Bangla border with both sides tightning their vigil.

Earlier during the second week of March, the BDR jawans opened fire on the civilian workers, who were engaged in the construction of border fencing at Sabroom in south Tripura. Later, the Bangladeshi border guards again fire at Putia in West Tripura to stop the border fencing works. The works for border fencing at several places had been stopped following the BDR firing. The BDR had raised objection to the construction of border fencing in more than hundred places along the Indo-Bangla border with Tripura, saying India had erected the border fencing within 150-yards from the border, violating the Indo-Bangla border guidelines.

India on a number of occasion had clarified that in most places the border fencing had been erected beyond 150 yards from the zero line. In some places, there are markets, temples, roads and other assets within 150-yards from the border. The Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) assured Tripura Governor Dinesh Nandan Sahaya of stern action against ''errants'' of the recent border skirmish in which a BSF Assistant Commandant was killed and four people, including two jawans, were injured. The incident would not be allowed to stand in the way of existing cordial relations between the security forces of the two countries, the BDR said. The assurances were given when Mr Sahaya visited the trouble-torn Indo-Bangla border with Tripura, where the incident occurred.

BDR sector commander Colonel Jahangir Alam Chowdhury and other senior officials, who accorded a warm reception to the Governor at the Akhaura checkpost near here, also informed that an inquiry had been ordered into the April 16 incident. The BDR officials also expressed sorrow to the Governor over the unfortunate incident in which BSF Assistant Commandant Jiban Kumar was killed.

The Governor appreciated their gesture and asked them to further promote and strengthen the bonds between the two countries. Mr Sahaya visited Akhaura checkpost and other Border Outposts (BOPs) and talked to the Border Security Force (BSF) and Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) jawans and told them about the necessity of maintaining cordial relation between the two neighbours. He was accompanied by Tripura, Cachar and Mizoram(TCM) frontier Inspector General S K Datta and other senior BSF officials.

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