BSF on high alert after yesterday's firing with BDR

Shillong, Jan 30 (UNI) The Home Ministry has asked the Border Security Force (BSF) to keep an extra vigil along the Indo-Bangla border, after yesterday's border skirmishes in which an Indian a schoolboy was killed and five others, including three Bangladeshis, were injured.

Fresh border skirmishes took place at a border point in West Bengal's Malda and South Dinajpur districts after a gang of Bangladeshi smugglers abducted a BSF Sub-Inspector Om Prakash.

A Bangladeshi civilian and three Bangladeshi Rifles (BDR) personnel received bullet injuries while a BSF constable was also hit during the exchange of fire.

Sub-Inspector Prakash, who was taken away by the BDR to its North Agra camp, was later handed back at a flag meeting between the frontier guards of both countries.

''We have alerted all our battalions to keep a tight vigil, while guarding the porous international border although both forces sorted out the problem yesterday,'' BSF Spokesman(Assam-Meghalaya) Frontier V S Sirkarwar told UNI here today.

The battle between the border guarding forces happened three days after a BSF-BDR meeting resolved to refrain themselves from firing during daytime, except for in self-defence along the border.

The BSF, however, blamed the BDR for yesterday's unprovoked firing, which forced them to retaliate. The renewal of hostility along the International Border assumes greater significance in the wake of confidence building and goodwill missions stressed on by both countries.

More UNI RRK KK JT MIR KP1753