india

Updated: Oct 18, 2019 19:37 IST

The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) on Friday did not hand over Pranab Mandal, the Indian fisherman whom they had allegedly taken into custody on Thursday triggering a chain of events that culminated in the death of a head constable of the Border Security Force (BSF) at the international border on the Padma River.

“BGB did not release the captive fisherman Pranab Mandal. Instead, he was handed over to the Bangladesh Police so that they could take necessary action for the fisherman’s infiltration into Bangladesh,” a senior BSF officer said on Friday.

In the firing allegedly carried out by BGB personnel and described by BSF officers as “unprecedented on the border with Bangladesh, a friendly country”, BSF’s Vijay Bhan Singh (50) was killed and another constable Rajvir Yadav (35) sustained bullet injuries on his hand.

The firing took place when the BSF team was preparing to leave in a boat after waiting for a flag meeting at an island on the river.

“Y B Khurania, inspector general of BSF’s South Bengal Frontier, has lodged a strong protest over the incident with his counterpart Benzir Ahmed, region commander, North West Region, BGB, Rangpur,” a senior BSF officer said on Friday.

According to BSF officers, Pranab Mandal was captured along with two others from within Indian waters. However, the two were released later.

Julfikar Ali, a social activist based in Jalangi of Murshidabad district said the Bangladesh government had imposed a ban on catching hilsa between October 10 and 31, the traditional spawning season for fish in the Padma river.

Since BGB has not been allowing fishermen from Bangladesh to catch fish, Indian fishermen are taking advantage and are trying to net a large quantity from the same river.

After the incident of firing on Thursday, BSF personnel did not allow any fishermen from Murshidabad to sail out on the river on Friday between Bamnabad and the Kakmari Char border outpost.

BSF officers said after the autopsy of Vijay Bhan in Murshidabad, that the body would be sent to his native village of Chamaroli in Firozabad of Uttar Pradesh. Before that personnel of the force would give him a guard of honour in Delhi.