BSF killed 2 Bangladeshi cattle traders, says Dhaka

DHAKA - Troops from India’s Border Security Force (BSF) shot dead two Bangladeshi cattle traders near Shingnagar along the country’s northwestern border Monday night, authorities here claimed uesday.

Those killed near the border in Chapainawabganj district were identified as Fatik, 30, and Ismail Hossain, 25.

BSF troops from the Doulatpur camp in Malda district in India’s West Bengal state opened fire at a group of cattle traders when they reached the international border around 10.30 p.m. Monday, killing two traders on the spot, the Star Online, website of The Daily Star newspaper reported, citing official sources.

The report said that the BSF men took away the bodies into their territory, which prompted Lt. Col. Zayed Hossain, commanding officer of the 39 Rifles Battalion of Bangladesh Rifles, to send a letter of protest to the BSF, asking them to return the bodies immediately.

Movement of cattle, both authorised and smuggled, is a regular occurrence along the border and increases during the festival season in Bangladesh, when the demand for cattle meat is high.

The killing of what Indian authorities say are smugglers has been a sore point in bilateral relations. The BSF says its personnel “fire in self defence” as the people crossing the border are armed.

Night-time movement along the border is unauthorised as per an understanding between the two governments. The two neighbours share a 4,300-km border.