BSF men were killed in cold blood

GUWAHATI, April 20: The bodies of 15 of the 16 Border Security Force (BSF) officers and men killed by the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) personnel along with the villagers of Bangladesh were returned to the Indian authorities this evening and from the wound marks in the bodies, it was apparent that the BSF men were killed in cold blood and they were not killed in a shoot-out. Highly-placed official sources said that the bodies of 15 BSF men killed inside Bangladesh were handed over to the Indian authorities at Mahendraganj in Meghalaya-Bangladesh border late this evening. The Bangladesh Rifles authorities said that one more body of a BSF man was in Dhaka and that would be sent back tomorrow. The bodies of the slain BSF men were brought to Mankachar in Dhubri district where they were posted and later the bodies were shifted to the company headquarter of the BSF at Tura. Sources revealed that the Bangladesh Rifles men and local villagers brutally killed the BSF men in cold blood after they were abducted. At least three BSF men were killed by slitting their throats and a few were shot at the head from close range. It seemed that a few of the BSF men were not killed day before yesterday as reported as their bodies looked fresh and particularly the body of Assistant Commandant of the BSF D Mandal looked quite fresh and it is suspected that he was killed today itself. Sources disclosed that encouraged by the success of capturing a village along with the BSF post at Purdiwah village in the Meghalaya sector, the Bangladesh Rifles men kidnapped the BSF men posted in the Mankachar sector on April 18. About two to three thousand villagers, encouraged by the BSF men also joined in and helped the BDR in the abduction and apparently the BSF men did not open fire on the apprehension that such action on their part would result in killing of many civilians. Taking the opportunity, the BDR men and the villagers successfully kidnapped the BSF men. It may be mentioned here that the Bangladesh Rifles personnel first opened fire from their camps at Baraibari in the morning of April 18, which resulted in heavy exchange of firing from both the sides.