The talks took place in the wake of Friday's exchange of gunfire between the two sides in Ramgarh. The incident occurred when the Indian side made an abortive attempt to fence the border 150 yards off the zero point.

BDR sources said the battalion commander level flag meeting held at Subrum ended fruitlessly with both sides making allegations against each other. BDR could not elicit any assurance from its counterpart that they [BSF] would cease fencing that has been stalled for the last few days.

Meanwhile, a tense situation was prevailing at Singimari of Lalmonirhat, Chakpara of Chapainawabganj and at Chuadanga border over fencing and probable push-in bids by India.

A top official at the BDR headquarters said BDR personnel have been kept on alert. They are patrolling the bordering areas round the clock. He, however, said that the situation has not deteriorated further.

"Though the meeting at Ramgarh has ended in a stalemate, we are determined to foil any Indian attempt to erect fence 150 yards off the zero line," he said adding such attempts violate the Indo-Bangladesh Boundary Accord, 1974, commonly known as the Mujib-Indira treaty.

He said Bangladesh would raise the issue in the upcoming deputy director general-level meeting between BDR and BSF. The issue would top the agenda at the meeting slated for Agartola on March 14-17. It will be discussed also at a director general-level meeting in Dhaka on April 12-17.

Ramgarh meeting
BDR 33 Battalion Commander Lt Col Sharif Haider led the Bangladesh delegation at the five-hour meeting that began at 1:00am.

A meeting source said that BSF at the meeting accused BDR personnel of launching an unprovoked attack on their men who were fencing the border. In reply, BDR said that for the last seven days they had requested their Indian counterparts to stop fencing in violation of the 1974 treaty. But as the BSF members did not pay any heed to the request, they had to open fire to protect the border.

The BDR officials also said that the fencing if continued would disturb peace in the bordering areas and that they are resolved to resist any acts that breach the treaty.

Tension in Lalmonirhat
Our Lalmonirhat Correspondent adds: Fearing a bloody face-off between BDR and BSF, more than 2,000 families have already fled their houses while others prepare to follow at bordering Singimari and Burosrodubi of Lalmonirhat yesterday.

Both the sides continued to mobilise troops along the border over Indian attempt to fence. The tension mounted since February 15 when BSF tried to fence the border 90 yards off the zero point near Singimari.

Meanwhile, though BSF has expressed intent to sit in a flag meeting, no meeting was held till yesterday evening, sources said.

UNB adds from Chapainawabganj: BDR personnel were on alert yesterday for an Indian attempt to push in through Chakpara frontier in Shibganj upazila. Sources said that locals on Friday informed BDR that some six unidentified women were found on the no man's land. Later following the leads, BDR officials issued a red alert in the area.

BDR 6 Battalion Commander Lt Col Sharif said BSF could not push in anyone as they [BDR] were alerted to such possibility.

According to local sources, the BSF herded a group of people into a camp at Naodapara across the border.

BDNEWS reports from Chuadanga: A battalion commander-level flag meeting between BDR and BSF was held at Chuadanga border point yesterday.

Sources said 18 Rifles Battalion Commander Lt Col Abu Sufian Talukder and 2 BSF Battalion Commander Commandant Sonoal led the two sides in the meeting.

The meeting discussed measures to improve law and order at the border points and stop theft of pillars along the 155-km border.

At the meeting, BSF assured that there would be no attempt on their part to push in people across the border.

Earlier on February 23, BSF tried to push in 12 Indian Bangalees. BDR sent letters three times protesting the incident and invited BSF to a flag meeting.

The three-hour meeting has quelled the tension in the bordering areas.

The BSF had been persistently carrying out their push-in bid for 10 days through the border since February 23.