The two sides are known to engage in sporadic gunfire. Indian and Bangladeshi border guards have fired on each other after a border-crossing dispute, officials say. The shootout took place at a border point near Panchagarh, about 300km (200 miles) north-west of the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka. Indian guards said the incident occurred after they stopped a group of Bangladeshis crossing illegally on Tuesday night. They said they were “pushing them back” when Bangladeshi forces opened fire.
Negotiations – A senior official of India’s Border Security Force (BSF) said the “unprovoked fire from the Bangladeshis” damaged the roofs of several houses on the Indian side. No one was hurt. The firing, which continued into Wednesday morning, stopped after senior BSF and Bangladesh Rifles officials negotiated. Indian villagers told Bengali television channel ETV they ran away from their homes when the two sides exchanged fire. The fate of the stranded group was not immediately known. India and Bangladesh share a 4,096km border, the demarcation of which is disputed over a 6.1km stretch. The two sides are known to engage in sporadic gunfire to stop illegal migrants and smugglers.