Indo-Bangla (Tripura) Border Tensions

[Srirangan]

The Bangladeshi's are badly reading signals from New Delhi. They are mobilizing expecting the Indians to back out of a conflict. Bangladesh is literally taunting and teasing India into conflict, which once turns on will be too hard for the Bangla's to digest.

Bangladesh violates Indian airspace

AGARTALA: India on Saturday accused Bangladesh of violating the country's airspace, besides reinforcing troops, building trenches and stockpiling heavy weapons along the international border.

An Indian Border Security Force (BSF) statement said a Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) helicopter entered the Indian airspace along the northeastern state of Tripura on Friday.

"BDR violated the Indian airspace with their helicopter seen flying over Chotakhil in Sabroom subdivision of Tripura as also in Magrum and Beltoli areas along the international border," the statement said.

The allegations came as border tensions between the two neighbouring countries along the state of Tripura have peaked in recent days with BDR soldiers killing a senior BSF commander in a heavy exchange of gunfire last week.

India has lodged a strong protest with Dhaka and cautioned its troops not to indulge in "adventurism".

Dhaka has ordered a probe into the incident. On Thursday, Bangladesh too charged the BSF of violating their airspace during a flag meeting between commanders of the two countries.

"The BDR commander said a BSF helicopter entered their airspace April 18. But the allegation was totally false and baseless," the BSF statement said.

It said Bangladeshi troops were piling up weapons and building trenches, besides amassing additional soldiers on their side of the border.

"They (BDR) are trying to create fresh tension by reinforcement of troops and by providing heavier weapons like 51 MM mortars."

The BSF said Bangladesh was carrying out a "misinformation campaign" among the border villagers by spreading news that India was planning an attack.

"BSF has been watching the highly suspicious movement of BDR soldiers across the border," the statement said.

India and Bangladesh share a 4,095-km border, of which 856 km falls in Tripura. A vast stretch of the border remains unfenced with concrete pillars dividing the two countries.

On Thursday night, the BSF shot at and injured two Bangladeshi nationals while they were allegedly attempting to breach a barbed border fencing to illegally enter India.

BSF officials said there were at least five separate incidents of "unwarranted firing" by the BDR soldiers on civilians and security personnel along the border in Tripura since March.

This is the latest, after years of supporting criminals and illegal immigrants across the border, and murdering a BSF official now they openly violate Indian airspace.

All in the bid to flare up tensions so that the fence is not completed, to keep the BSF busy fighting so making a fence will be impossible. But the fear is, if the hostilities go out of hand, they might have much more to lose than the loss the fence brings them.

[Srirangan]

Make conflict costlier for Bangladesh
From The Acorn
http://opinion.paifamily.com/

The Bangladesh Rifles are on a roll. One of their helicopters violated Indian airspace amid reports of its border positions being reinforced. As usual, there are reports of Bangladeshi civilians being killed at the hands of the Indian Border Security Force. One would be forgiven for thinking that last week’s incident — involving the brutal killing of an Indian officer (and Bangladeshi civilian casualties) — did not happen at all. In spite of a reported apology by a Bangladeshi minister, there does not seem to be any accompanying moves to prevent the clashes from escalating further.

The government of Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has either lost operational control over some of its security forces or is playing a dangerous and duplicitous game with India. Either way, as long as the Indian government does not increase the cost of this strategy, the Bangladeshi government has little to lose. Politically, it stands to gain by stoking anti-India feelings — even reasonable Bangladeshis are outraged by reports of innocent civilians losing their lives at the hands of Indian soldiers. It also leaves the various ‘armed villagers’, local border guards, smugglers and other elements to exploit this environment.

Bilateral negotiations between border security officials have not been able to prevent these skirmishes. The latest intrusion by a Bangladeshi helicopter, so soon after the killing of Assistant Commandant Jeevan Kumar raised the hackles in India, suggests that the Bangladesh government expects that the costs of keeping tensions alive outweigh the benefits of allowing the border situation to stabilise. Unless the Indian government immediately raises those costs substantially, both in political and military terms, there is nothing to deter Bangladesh from playing the same game.

[amit]

Tensions with India and Bangladesh. Are both sides going to prepare for a possible war?

[ajaybhutani]

Originally Posted by amit

Tensions with India and Bangladesh. Are both sides going to prepare for a possible war?

bangladesh really cant afford a war with india.If i dont think it can survive for more than a week.