Two Bangladeshi border guards have been shot dead by Indian troops near a frontier post, triggering an immediate protest by Dhaka, a Bangladeshi security official said today.
"Indian Border Security Forces (BSF) suddenly started firing when our forces were patrolling along the northwestern frontier on Thursday night," said a spokesman for the Bangladesh Rifles border guards.
"Two of our soldiers had been fatally hit. It's (a) serious violation by the BSF. We have lodged a strong protest with the BSF over the incident," he added.
India's BSF said they were chasing cattle smugglers when Bangladeshi border guards fired at them, forcing them to retaliate.
"One of our guards was hit in the firing and we think the Bangladesh Rifles had no business to be on our side of the border," Ashish Kumar Mitra, the BSF chief, said.
Despite generally friendly relations between the two countries, Indian and Bangladeshi border guards often exchange fire along their 4,000km porous border, which runs through rice fields, hills, jungles, marshes and rivers.
They accuse each other of frequently targeting civilians on the frontier, known for smuggling and illegal migration. Both sides also accuse each other of helping smugglers.
In 2006, at least 16 Indian and three Bangladeshi solders were killed in the deadliest border clash between the two countries.
Reuters