DHAKA: India Thursday once again assured that its border guards would not shoot anymore Bangladeshis to death without reasons on the frontier, as the two countries opened comprehensive talks on border-management problems.

The assurance came from visiting BSF Director-General Raman Srivastava as Home Ministry officials at a meeting on Thursday afternoon at the ministry expressed their grave concern over the “indiscriminate killings of innocent Bangladeshis” by the BSF members on regular basis.

The visiting BSF delegation led by its DG Raman Srivastava called on Home Minister Sahara Khatun before holding the meeting with the Home Ministry officials.

Among others, State Minister for Home Shamsul Haque Tuku, Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs Abdus Sobhan Shikdar, BDR Director-General Major-General Md. Rafiqul Islam and other high officials of the ministry attended the meeting.

The Home Ministry officials further alleged that the Khashia tribal group of India and other groups roam around the bordering areas with open arms in the Indian territories near the border of greater Sylhet and often resort to attack on the innocent Bangladeshis engaged in farming their own farmlands.

“But the BSF members always give protection and shelter to such attackers in various ways,” the host side was quoted as telling the guests.

Later, the BSF delegation went back to the BDR headquarters at Pilkhana at around 4:00 pm after the meeting with Home Ministry officials and held a second round of official talks with the BDR representatives there as part of their five-day meeting.

BDST: 2111 HRS, SEPT 23, 2010