BSF-BDR truce; No fresh firing on Bangla border

SHILLONG, April 20: No fresh firing was reported on Friday on the international border with Bangladesh from Meghalaya to Assam since the Border Security Force and Bangladesh Rifles struck truce at Thursday flag meeting at Dawki in Meghalaya, reports PTI. R C Silkoti, Commandant of BSF head quarters here told PTI there was no report of exchange of fire between BSF and BDR at Pyrdiwah in Meghalaya and Mankachar area in Assam with both sides agreeing to maintain status quo. He said everything is peaceful there' and Bangladesh would on Friday return the bodies of the BSF, jawans killed by BDR at Boraibari. Altogether sixteen BSF jawans were killed in the firing. He said the BSF Director General Gurbachan Jagat would visit the border areas on Friday on a fact finding mission. However, the villagers of Pyrdiwah who were chased out by the BDR have not yet returned to their homes though normalcy has returned after BSF took possession of their observatory post there, official sources said here. Official sources at Tura said that people from Mankachar in Assam were still coming and taking shelter in West Garo Hills district. The district administration has set up three camps at Sulguri, Jholgaon and Monabari and provided relief to the inmates. The local people were also giving them food and shelter. The State Chief Minister, E K Mawlong said he would send a report to the Centre on the affected villagers. A report from Guwahati quoting the Deputy Commissioner Gayatri Baruah Friday also said the guns had fallen silent across the border since late last night. However, the Border Security Force and Bangladesh Rifles were engaged in sporadic exchange of fire along the border in Mankachar area in Dhubri district even after yesterday's flag meeting at Dawki, Baruah said. "Low scale exchange of fire was continuing between the BSF and BDR personnel till last night but past midnight there was no report of any further firing," she said. A civilian was injured by a mortar shell fired by the Bangladesh Rifles last night taking the injured toll to 21, Baruah said.