Meghalaya Chief Minister D.D. Lapang has moved the Centre on the repeated “unprovoked” firings by BDR which has triggered panic among the villagers, prompting them to flee, officials said.
Mr. Lapang spoke to Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram over telephone last evening apprising him of the plight faced by the people residing along the Meghalaya-Bangladesh border following repeated incidents of firing by BDR, they said.
Over 100 families in the Muktapur area have moved to safer places, the officials said.
Muktapur village headman Manosh Manner said the firing that occurred on Sunday has triggered panic among the people.
“Many of the families have left their houses and moved to safer places since then,” he told visiting reporters.
The villagers have also stopped going to their paddy fields out of fear, he said.
Mr. Lapang told Mr. Chidambaram that the people of Muktapur village and the areas along the border with Bangladesh in Meghalaya are in grip of insecurity and the firing incidents have affected them economically, the officials said.
Informing Mr. Chidambaram that villagers in the affected areas were forced to leave their homes and take shelter in safer places, Lapang requested him to take up the issue with the Bangladesh government to settle the matter amicably.
Two incidents of firing between the BSF and the BDR were reported in the Meghalaya border this month.
The BSF, however, insisted that the situation is normal now and the force has strengthened its outposts putting them on maximum alert to prevent recurring of the incidents.
“The BSF has decided to strengthen all its BOPs and put its personnel on maximum alert. If BDR indulges in misadventure, we will give them a befitting reply,” a BSF spokesman said.
On Sunday, BDR troops fired at three places along the Bangladesh border in Meghalaya, prompting the BSF to retaliate.
On February 4, heavy firing was reported in Muktapur area between the border guards of both the countries, after an intrusion attempt by BDR, one of whom was detained by BSF and later handed over to the authorities of the neighbouring country.
