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May
22, 2000
Kurigram,
May 21 (UNB) - Some 15,000 Bangladeshi nationals at the Mashaldanga
enclave are now facing food shortage as they passed their third day of
being besieged by Indian nationals backed by border guards.
According
some people who came to the main land fleeing from the enclave, the
Indian special police force continued imposition of section 144 in the
enclave prohibiting the local people coming out of their houses.
The
inhabitants of the enclave are not even allowed to go to the shops to
buy foodstuffs, they said.
Meanwhile,
the UNO of Bhurungamari thana has allocated one metric ton of
foodgrains for the crisis-stricken enclave dwellers.
Government
officials in the mainland are still in the dark about what really is
happening in the enclave at the northern part of Kurigram, besieged by
Indian civilians and border guards for last three days.
Backed
by their BSF and border police, some 2,000 Indian nationals intruded
into the Bangladesh enclave in Bhurungamari upazila on Thursday
morning and since then they have remained besieged.
As
the enclave is separated from Bangladesh mainland by a 125 feet wide
patch of Indian land, BDR can’t take any effective step due to
limitations under the International Border Law.
BDR
24 Riffle Battalion sources said tonight that BSF had agreed to hold a
company level flag meeting on the matter.
Some
villagers of six villages of the enclave who managed to come into the
main land said the Indians first attacked the enclave on May 11 after
an Indian Muslim youth eloped with a Hindu girl from an Indian village
and they thought the couple took shelter in Mashaldanga.
Two
people were kidnapped on the day. However, they were later released on
payment of Tk 20,000 as ransom.
The
second attack was made on May 18 (Thursday) while the intruders set
fire to almost all the houses in the enclave, looted valuables as well
as over a hundred cows and 47 goats.
They
also abducted four people whose fate remains to be known.
Deputy
Commissioner AFM Solaiman Chowdhury said some relief goods had been
sent to the enclave.
Meantime,
Nekbar Ali, one of those who had fled the enclave, filed a case
against seven Indian nationals.
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