BSF files FIR against BDR

Mankachar (Indo-Bangladesh Border), April 26
The BSF has lodged an FIR complaining of international war crime against the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) for the “inhuman” killing of 16 BSF jawans on April 18, Office-in-Charge Mankachar police station Anil Deka said.

Mr Deka said, “On April 21, a couple of BSF officials filed an FIR against the BDR at the Mankachar police station for killing of 16 of their colleagues.’’ Mr Deka was apparently clueless as to what should be the course of action as in the past 50 years, not a single FIR of that magnitude had been filed.

The BSF lodged an FIR with the Mankachar police station stating, among other things, that the BDR had killed 15 of its jawans “near the Kakripara Bop’’ (about 3 km from here) on the Indo-Bangla border on the “intervening nights of 18, 19 and 20 April, 2001.’’

The FIR stated that only seven bodies could be identified. Eight others could not be identified because of “mutilation and decomposition.’’

The FIR requested that the matter be investigated. The police registered a case (42/2001) on the basis of the FIR under Sections 302 and 121 of the Indian Penal Code, relating to waging war against the state.

The BSF lodged the FIR after the BDR returned the mutilated bodies of the 15 jawans. The BSF followed up with two more statements over the next two days, the first saying that the other bodies had been also identified and the next stating that BDR had handed over two injured jawans along with another body.

“I am waiting for the statements of the two injured jawans to begin my investigation,’’ Mr Deka said while admitting that it would be difficult to undertake the whole operation as it involved national security.

New Delhi: The Government today announced payment of an exgratia amount of Rs 7.5 lakh to each of the families of the 16 BSF personnel killed recently at Boraibari outpost on Indo-Bangladesh border.

Announcing this, a Home Ministry spokesman said the government had also decided to make a memorial for these gallant BSF men, who laid down their lives while defending the borders of the country, at Frontier Headquarters, Shillong.

He said a memorial park would be created at Mankachar on the land which the Assam Government had consented to provide.

Besides, he said the dependent of the killed jawans would continue to get their last drawn salary till their retirement was due and added that the BSF would provide employment to one member of the deceased families.

Saving civilians, BSF men got killed
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 26
The barbaric killing of 16 BSF men by the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) could not be effectively countered as there was lack of inputs on the exact number of BDR personnel who intruded into the Indian territory and also “downplaying” of ground situation in Pyrdiwah, highly placed official sources said today.

According to sources, the preliminary inquiry has revealed that even the Sector Commander of Pyrdiwah was unaware of the intensity of the BDR attack as the incident was downplayed as an exchange of firing between the two frontier guards.

It was only on the April 12 morning the bigwigs of the BSF and the Union Home Ministry seized of the matter and additional reinforcement was sent. But, by then one of the two small BSF party, comprising 16 jawans were captured and brutally killed by BDR personnel, sources said.

However, when contacted the BSF Director General, Mr Gurbachan Jagat was tightlipped on the “intelligence failure” and said an internal inquiry had been ordered by him to probe into the various aspects of the incident.

To a question whether the BSF battalion had failed to make a proper combat strategy to counter the BDR adventure, Mr Jagat said, “The officers and jawans of the BSF, numbering only 32, held their ground boldly and courageously against tremendous odds.”

He further said the BSF patrol party had acted after they were fired upon by the BDR troops and decided to neutralise the firing by entering the area which was under the adverse possession of Bangladesh.

The BSF patrol split into smaller units in order to cover a larger area around the border outpost and one such group comprising 16 personnel advanced to an area towards the village and were confronted by a large number of civilians backed up by units of a BDR, he said.

“It was probably the hesitation of the BSF personnel to fire at civilians which led to their capture and killing,” he said.

The BSF chief debunked media reports that there was undue delay in intimating the family members of the BSF jawans killed in the incident.

“There was no delay from our side. We had identified the bodies of the BSF men on April 19 late evening and immediately made arrangements for informing the kin of those laid their life... by tomorrow the ashes of all 16 jawans will be delivered by our officers to their family members,” Mr Jagat said.