Bangladeshi farmers in the border area in Godagary in Rajshahi were being obstructed by Indian Border Security Force to reap ripe Boro paddy from a patch of 200 acres of land on which the Indians staked their claim.
Local sources said farmers from Kharchaka village near the border had gone to cut the paddy from the land on 12 May, but BSF allegedly stopped them and asked them to go back, claiming the land belonged to India.
The personnel of the Border Guard of Bangladesh and policemen from Godagary thana, on receiving the information, went to the scene and brought the farmers back.
Yasin Ali, a local farmer, told New Age that the BSF did not forbid them when they had sowed Boro rice on the fields near the frontier three months ago.
But this time BSF said that they had encroached onto Indian territory and stopped them from going to the fields, he said.
Yasin,however, said that the farmers have already reaped Boro paddy from about 100 acres, but were stopped from harvesting on the remaining 100 acres.
Farmers said that if they could not reap the Boro paddy they would suffer as many of them had taken loans from local Non-Government Organisations with high rate of interest.
Akter Hossain, a school teacher in the locality, said on Friday that most farmers who had planted Boro are marginal people. They would face serious problems if they cannot reap the paddy from the fields.
Rahman Ali, another farmer, said that they cultivated Boro at that field for last five or six years as the BSF did not create any obstacle in their work. But this time BSF are obstructing them to reap the ripe paddy.
Some farmers, speaking on condition of anonymity, told New Age that they had contacted with the BGB men of Kharchaka camp and police of Godagary, but they (lawmen) refused to do anything about it.
Saidur Rahman, a senior farmer, said that they used to sow paddy at one of the shoals of river Padama in the Bangladeshi territory for last five or six years without any obstruction from the BSF.
But this year BSF has set up some temporary cottages to guard the paddy field and threatened that they would open fire if the Bangladeshi farmers went to the field.
Officer-in-charge of Godagary police station, Zakirul Islam, told New Age, 'We have nothing to do as the Bangladeshi farmers have sowed paddy on the Indian territory.'
Subedar Solaiman Ali, company commander of BGB at Kharchaka, said that they had sent a letter to BSF on 14 May, seeking a flag meeting to discuss the issue. But the BSF did not show any response.
Source: New Age
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