Villagers of WGH file FIRs against BSF

SHILLONG: BSF has denied allegations that it is indulging in illegal seizures of cattle along the Indo-Bangla border.
The villagers of Belabor, a border village in West Garo Hills, had lodged an FIR against the BSF for open fire on the locals, whom they allegedly passed off as cattle thieves resulting in bullet injuries to two persons on Friday.
Another FIR was filed by villagers from Purakhasia village of West Garo Hills, for allegedly taking away six heads of cattle belonging to a village elder on Wednesday.
A senior official of the BSF on Friday told The Shillong Times that BSF catches cattle only when it is too closed to International Border or when force has inputs that cattle is being smuggled to the neighbouring country.
“When people run away after seeing our troops, we are bound to doubt,” officials said, adding that BSF have never seized those cattle immediately, they wait for people to make clams and many times the Force has handed over the cattle back to the people.
“If someone is near the border with around 20 cattle in absence of any farming activity nor a slaughter house than what are we supposed to think,” the official said.
The official further stated that now there is a new trend where cattle smuggler even sells the challan papers to the smugglers from other side so that they can substantiate their ownership of the cattle since challan papers does not have image or fingerprints of the cattle.
“BSF is not getting any medals for seizing cattle and if these animals are smuggled into Bangladesh then questions will be raised on us,” the official said.