BSF hands over 4 Bangla fishermen at flag meeting

In a rare practice, the Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) held a flag meeting in the middle of a river for the handover of four Bangladeshi fishermen who were caught in Murshidabad of West Bengal last week.

The four are Rokib Ali (52) and his three sons: Mohammad Raju Ahmed (32), Dilwar Hossain (29) and Rakib Islam (25) from Kholabona village of Horipur in Rajshahi.

The flag meeting was held in the middle of the river Ganga at around 5 pm on July 24 when the teams of the two forces reached there sailing in their boats. The BSF 35th battalion company commander at the Border Out Post (BOP) Madan Ghat handed over the four fishermen alongwith their two engine fitted boats and other paraphernalia to BGB first battalion company commander of BOP (Sonaikundi) at Rajshahi, said BSF (South Bengal Frontier) Deputy Inspector General SS Guleria.

He added that at around 8.25 am on Friday the four in the two boats were seen fishing in the river around 600 meters inside the Indian territory by a BSF patrolling boat. The four fishermen, who entered illegally, tried to escape but the BSF speed boat chased and intercepted them within 500 meters of the Indian territory.

They were brought to the bank of the river and were questioned. The BSF however found them not involved in any other trans-border crime except violating the international boundary. Mr Guleria said, “Keeping in view the existing bonhomie and good relations between both border guarding forces, a decision was taken to return the four fishermen to the BGB.”