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Nitin Gogoi in Guwahati
A company commander of the Border Security Force and 18 of his jawans spent their second night in 'captivity' of the Bangladesh Rifles in the Dawki sector of the Meghalaya-Bangladesh border on Tuesday. They were captured by the BDR personnel late on Sunday night.
Soldiers have taken positions on hilltops and braced for a showdown with the intruders from Bangladesh who have ringed the outpost on the eastern frontier in Meghalaya.
Troops from the Bangladesh Rifles forcibly took possession of Pyrdiwah, a village bang on the international border on Sunday night. The BDR apparently maintains that the village and the BSF outpost is within the Bangladesh territory and hence they have the claim to the area.
With flag meetings held between the two sides over the past two days failing to yield a breakthrough, heavy reinforcements have been rushed to the area, sparking fears of a flare-up.
Two companies from the BSF, along with five armoured vehicles, reached Pyrdiwah on Tuesday afternoon. Across the border, soldiers from the Bangladesh Army have taken up positions in Fatehpur and surrounding areas.
The tension has forced 1000-odd villagers to flee their homes and hide in the foothills. Most of the villagers are Khasis and Santhalis. They said their houses and belongings are at the BDR's mercy.
The people said they were devastated by the sudden aggression by the Bangladesh jawans. Most of the families have taken refuge in make-shift huts built on cliff tops and forest areas.
Meghalaya Home Minister T H Rangad, East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner L Roy and East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police G H P Raju have rushed to Dawki.
Pyrdiwah village is on the international boundary and is divided into two -- Pyrdiwah I, which is in Bangladesh, and Pyrdiwah II, which is in India.
Trade in the Dawki land customs outpost, one of the booming export routes to Bangladesh, has come to a halt as the border has been sealed.
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