Bangladeshis attack Indian border outpost in Meghalaya; 1 BSF jawan injured

Another group from the neighbouring country barged into the house of a Meghalaya resident and looted money, mobile phones and a gun, besides injuring the head of the family, a senior officer said

Suspected Bangladeshi nationals have attacked a border outpost in Meghalaya, assaulting two BSF jawans and snatching their weapons, resulting in injuries to one of them, police said.

Another group from the neighbouring country barged into the house of a Meghalaya resident and looted money, mobile phones and a gun, besides injuring the head of the family, a senior officer said. The incidents took place at around midnight on Wednesday at Amdoh and Rongtila, which are about five km from the India-Bangladesh border, West Jaintia Hills Superintendent of Police (SP) Lakador Syiem said.

“A group of 10-15 Bangladeshi nationals allegedly surrounded two Border Security Force (BSF) personnel near the Rongtila border outpost (BOP), assaulted them and snatched their weapons, causing injuries to one of them,” he said. The weapons snatched from the BSF personnel were later recovered from a nearby forest, Syiem said. Prior to the incident, another Bangladeshi group had barged into the house of Pratap Bareh at Amdoh village near the Rongtila BOP and looted money, mobile phones and a gun, he said.

Bareh had fired a round at the intruders in self- defence before his gun was snatched and he was assaulted, Syiem said. Both Bareh and the injured BSF jawan were taken to Dawki Primary Health Centre (PHC). The deputy inspector general of police (Eastern Range) met the injured persons and visited the places of occurrence along with the district deputy commissioner and senior officers of the BSF and police.

31 Rohingya refugees pushed to Indian territory by Bangladesh forces: BSF

On January 18, BSF troops posted at the border observed ‘suspicious movement’ from the Bangladesh territory. Later, the Border Guards Bangladesh made a telephone call and confirmed the activity

Latest News:  The BSF on Sunday said that the 31 Rohingya refugees apprehended from the ‘zero line’ between India and Bangladesh’s border near Tripura’s Rayemura were “pushed” by the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB).

On January 18, BSF troops posted at the border observed ‘suspicious movement’ from the Bangladesh territory. Later, the BGB made a telephone call and confirmed the activity, discovering a group of Rohingya refugees, BSF DIG Brajesh Kumar told ANI. A total of six men, nine women, and 16 children were found trying to enter into India. The BGB alleged that the Rohingyas were “pushed by the BSF,” into their territory.

“We alerted our troops and next morning approached the BGB to hold a flag meeting. The meeting was held on January 19. They said that there were 31 Rohingyas and claimed they were pushed by the BSF towards Bangladesh,” Brajesh told ANI. Refuting the BGB’s claims, the BSF asked them to identify lapses in the Indian side of the fence and show the place from where the crossing might have happened.

“But they could not justify their allegations. They only keep harping that if they are on the Indian side, the BSF should take care of it. In fact, we later came to know that these people were apprehended by the BGB on their side,” he said.

“It is not known from where they were apprehended, but after apprehending them, they snatched their documents and pushed them about 40-50-metre into the Indian territory from the zero line,” Brajesh said.”We also asked them if they crossed from India to Bangladesh, how are their ID cards with them (BGB)? It indicates they were brought by the BGB,” the BSF DIG added..

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PM Hasina’s Awami League registers landslide victory in Bangladesh polls

Main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party of jailed ex-premier Khaleda Zia won just three seats

International News: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina cruised to victory for a third consecutive term in Bangladesh’s general election on Sunday, following a tense vote that saw at least 17 people killed in poll-related violence and demands of a fresh election by the opposition, according to media reports.

According to media reports, the ruling Awami League-led coalition won over 260 seats in the 300-member House.Private DBC TV aired results of 299 seats out of 300. The ruling Awami League-led grand alliance bagged 266 seats and its ally Jatiya Party secured 21, while the opposition National Unity Front (UNF) with BNP being its key partner got only seven seats, according to the channel.

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Independent candidates won in two seats, according to the local media. The election was postponed in one seat due to the natural death of a candidate.The Election Commission confirmed the complete result of the constituency in southwestern Gopalganj from where Hasina won bagging 2,29,539 votes, while her BNP opponent got only 123 votes.
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Bangladesh’s opposition NUF alliance, with BNP as its key partner, rejected the outcome of the general election and demanded fresh polls under a neutral caretaker government.
The National Unity Front (NUF) is a coalition of parties, including BNP, Gono Forum, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-JSD, Nagorik Oikya and Krishak Sramik Janata League.

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Assam bandh: Tyres burnt, trains delayed as citizenship bill faces protests

All district magistrates and superintendents of police had been instructed by the BJP government in the state to take measures to maintain public utility services in view of the bandh call

Latest News : Protestors Tuesday tried to put up blockades on railway tracks and disrupt train services across Assam as part of the 12-hour state-wide bandh called by 46 organisations against the Citizenship Bill.

Police officials said here that the demonstrators, who were trying to prevent train movement by squatting on tracks, were being evicted. Demonstrators also burnt tyres on roads in various places of the state. Police escorts were being provided to public transport vehicles to ensure transport services functioned normally during the bandh.

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The Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) and 44 organisations have called the 12-hour bandh to protest against the Centre’s bid to pass the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, in the Winter Session of Parliament. Political parties, including the Congress and the AIUDF, have extended their support to the bandh in the interest of Assam and its indigenous people.

All district magistrates and superintendents of police had been instructed by the BJP government in the state to take measures to |BS| maintain public utility services in view of the bandh call. A government communique in this regard had said that necessary pre-emptive and preventive measures to thwart the bandh call must be taken in view of the judgement of the Gauhati High Court.

The deputy commissioners of respective districts had issued orders that all government officials should attend to their duties. It also said that shops, business establishments, educational institutions should remain open and transport facilities should function normally.  | Read More : Assam bandh

Rohingya crisis: Return of 'displaced persons' only solution, says Swaraj

India's External Affairs Minister spoke on the issue during her two-day visit to Bangladesh

 

India is "deeply concerned" at the spate of violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State where normalcy will be restored only with the return of "displaced persons", External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday said amidst the raging Rohingya refugee crisis.

Nearly 600,000 minority Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh since late August to escape violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State where the army has launched a crackdown against militants.

Myanmar doesn't recognise Rohingya as an ethnic group and insists that they are Bangladeshi migrants living illegally in the country.(economy news)

Bangladesh has sought India's "sustained pressures" on Myanmar for its resolution.

"India is deeply concerned at the spate of violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State," Swaraj said after talks with the Bangladeshi side as part of the fourth Joint Consultative Commission.

She, however, preferred not to use the word "Rohingya" and said: "We have urged that the situation be handled with restraint, keeping in mind the welfare of the population."

Swaraj is on a two-day visit to Bangladesh at the invitation of Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali.

"It is clear that normalcy will only be restored with the return of the displaced persons to Rakhine state.....read more

India's response to the Rohingya crisis is driven by an 'un-fine' balance

Realist response has taken an upper-hand over a humanitarian response

Myanmar is witnessing a military crackdown against the Rohingya ethnic community. Facing extreme violence, hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas have fled from their homes in Myanmar. It is estimated that more than 300,000 have entered Bangladesh. Even as Bangladesh has been stretched in providing relief to these refugees, the Bangladesh government and activists in India have been pushing the Indian government to admit refugees in India. The Indian government for its part has sent relief assistance to Bangladesh for these refugees but has not agreed to accept more Rohingya refugees in India. What is driving the Indian response to this crisis? What are the factors that make this a complex decision? The author analyses in this Business Standard Special.

‘India remains deeply concerned about the situation in Rakhine State in Myanmar and the outflow of refugees from that region’, began a recent statement by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India. The rest of this short 166-word note focused on strongly condemning the ‘terrorist attacks on Myanmar security forces’, reminded us of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent aid commitment to the strife torn region, and urged the powers that be in Myanmar to handle the situation with ‘maturity’, focus on the welfare of both civilians and security forces, and restore normalcy ‘expeditiously’. Soon after, New Delhi launched Operation Insaniyat offering aid to Rohingya refugees pouring into Bangladesh. Both the statement and the aid make for fitting examples of how India balances competing domestic and foreign policy advocacies and priorities....READ MORE