SHILLONG: The Border Security Force and Meghalaya Police are at the loggerheads over the issue of alleged smuggling of cattle to Bangladesh at Gasuapara, an area which shares a long boundary with Bangladesh.
BSF sources who do not wished to be named since it would spoil their relationship with Meghalaya Police, said that on Tuesday, BSF personnel based on inputs about the smuggling of cattle had asked a truck to stop as it was carrying cattle but the truck did not stopped and it put the lives of BSF personnel at risk.
According to BSF, the truck stopped only in Gasuapara Police station which indicates that it is a matter of investigation.
Officials from BSF also said that few days back, a similar incident happened in the same areas where BSF was in the process of seizing the cattle and some Police personnel came in between and tried to rescue the people who were transporting the cattle.
A video of the incident was also shared over social media where one cops of Meghalaya police and personnel of BSF were confronting with each over the issue.
On the other hand, officials from Meghalaya Police who also do not wished to be named, admitted that the district shares a large border with Bangladesh and the BSF is authorized to guard the border and they cannot come on the national highway and check vehicles for cattle.
According to officials, the BSF is also supposed to inform the local police when they conduct checking along the highway but they do not informe the police.
Terming the allegations of BSF that police is helping cattle smugglers as baseless, the officials added that 99 percent of the population of the area is meat consuming population even as officials added that BSF can catch cattle on the border but not on the road when it is in transit.
“How can they prove in the court that the cattle were being smuggled when the cattle are on transit on a national highways,” the official said while adding that the BSF personnel are acting “Gau Rakshaks”.
The official also said that the BSF personnel after catching the cattle come to the Police station and file an FIR besides handing over the cattle whereas the police stations do not have sheds to keep the animals.