SHILLONG, Jul 22: Armed Bangladesh Guards Border
personnel entered the Indian territory in Meghalaya and
threatened villagers to stop the construction of a road near the international border in West Jaintia Hills district, the contractor of the road alleged on Monday.
A BSF spokesperson here said the matter is being probed by a commandant level officer.
Three armed Bangladesh Guards Border (BGB) men came to the site on Saturday and ordered to stop work, asserting that the spot falls under 150 yards from the international border and that the construction violates rules, alleged B Buam, Muktapur village secretary and the contractor for the road.
The road is being constructed at Muktapur village where there is no barbed wire fencing.
Buam said the BGB men left after he informed them that the road will not be blacktopped and construction of such a “temporary” road is allowed as per a protocol signed by both the countries in 2011, and later amended in 2015.
The said protocol concerning the demarcation of the
land boundary between India and Bangladesh and related matters was signed by the two countries on September 6, 2011.
The Coordination Committee on International Border (CCIB), an organisation that looks after welfare of people living along the Indo-Bangladesh border in the state, has condemned the incident.
Meghalaya Frontier of the Border Security Force (BSF) is in charge of guarding the 443 km-long Indo-Bangladesh border, most parts of which are unfenced, hilly and difficult to man. (PTI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel