Three Bangladeshis were shot dead by Indian troops along the border between the two countries, Bangladesh said today.
Bangladesh accused India's Border Security Force (BSF) of intruding into Bangladesh territory near Tentulia, in the north, on Sunday night and and opening fire indiscriminately, killing the three, including a mother and child.
"We have lodged a strong protest with the BSF over the incident and tightened security along the border," a Bangladeshi spokesman told Reuters.
He said Tentulia villagers held a BSF member with firearms and handed him to the
Bangladesh Rifles border guard. He was injured, apparently beaten by the villagers, and has been admitted to a hospital.
Despite generally friendly relations, Indian and Bangladeshi border guards often exchange fire along their porous border which stretches 4,000 km (2,500 miles) through rice fields, hills, jungles, marshes and rivers.
The victims are usually smugglers, cattle thieves and illegal migrants, they say.
In 2001, at least 16 Indian and three Bangladeshi soldiers were killed in the worst clashes between the two countries.
Reuters
