DHAKA, Nov 1: India has assured Bangladesh that its troops deployed along the Bangladesh border would exercise restraint in dealing with cross-border issues. Briefing newsmen about his talks in New Delhi on the border tensions with India, Bangladesh Home Secretary Safar Rai Hossain said Indian officials listened sympathetically to his complaints about shooting of villagers by the Border Security Force (BSF) on charges of crossing the border illegally.

“For some days the BSF jawans have been killing innocent Bangladeshis indiscriminately. We can’t tolerate the killing of our nationals and have asked them to take up the matter seriously,” said the home secretary. “Our fellow citizens are very important to us and our main task is to save their lives.”

He said villagers and farmers living in the border areas can sometimes enter the no man’s land by mistake, but the BSF should not kill them just like that.

“We requested them not to murder Bangladeshis anymore. The Indian side seemed to have taken the issue seriously and assured us that they would ask their border forces to show restraint.”

The 10-member Bangladeshi delegation also raised the issue of implementing the 1974 Land Border Agreement regarding an exchange of enclaves.