Agartala:A BSF jawan was shot dead by suspected NLFT militants in Maldapara under Ganganagar police station Dhalai District in North Tripura on Thursday. The jawan was identified as Biswas Kumar (26) of 55 BN BSF, resident of Bihar.
BSF officials here on Friday stated that his body was sent to his home after due formalities. According to report, NLFT rebels opened fire on him from the back when they were returning from duty at evening.
The militants escape in the dark when jawans retaliated. “It is believed that the militants ambushed the BSF petrol party from other side of the border in remote Maldapara area. Since it was evening jawans could not locate the attackers but confirmed that they opened fire from Bangladesh soil,” said BSF Spokesperson B S Rawat. Mr Rawat however, pointed out besides, inadequate illumination facilities along the border, undulating difficult terrain and unfenced border, jawans could not counter the militants properly.
The area has thick forest spreading up to Chittagong Hill Tracts and wire fencing across a long stretches of eastern part of Tripura-Bangladesh border has not yet been completed, made the localities prone to extremists and Bangladesh doesn’t have any guards in other side. “BSF jawans have been facing multiple problems in managing the border due to inadequate amenities for the personnel, mosquito and snake bites and geographical isolation but fencing is not completed because of lackadaisical attitude of home ministry,” alleged local CPI-M MLA Lalit Tripura. Mr Tripura further stated that repeatedly the state government persuading centre to complete the fencing at the earliest and several unanimous proposal in this regard was sent to central government in past few years but situation remained same.
He however, demanded upgradation of basic amenities in border outposts and increase safety lighting in the entire stretches as well as to finish fencing work along with installation of lighting along 129.636 km unfenced border of Tripura on war footing. (UNI)
