The BSF have already amassed a large number of troops and taken up position in bunkers with heavy weapons while the BDR men are on high alert. Villagers on both sides of the border are reported to have been fleeing to safer places, as they feared the situation might escalate.

The local and officials sources said the Indian side used automatic weapons along the borders of these three districts to fire hundreds of bullets at Bangladeshi villages and nearby BDR outposts from yesterday midnight. They said the BSF triggered the exchange of fire.

BDR, police and local public representatives said the BSF troops of Pukhrani camp under Noyabari Company of 10 BSF Battalion suddenly opened fire at Bangladesh from a place opposite to Majhipara BDR outpost in Tentulia upazila of Panchagarh.

The on-patrol BDR men of Majhipara outpost retaliated. The exchange of gunfire continued till 5:30am yesterday, creating panic in the area.

In another incident, both the border forces exchanged gunfire till this morning when the BSF troops of Adadanga camp of 172 BSF Battalion opened fire in the early hours yesterday towards Hapania BDR outpost of Naogaon without any provocation.

Sources said both BDR and BSF forces exchanged gunfire when BSF men of Mathurapur camp of 115 BSF Battalion opened indiscriminate fire towards Bangladeshi villages and the BDR 29 Rifle Battalion outposts at Koria, Bhutiapara and Pagladewan of Joypurhat early yesterday.

Fear and panic have gripped the entire frontier areas of these three districts and the people are apprehending further escalation of the situation, local public representatives told BSS.

Hundreds of villagers on both sides of the border started fleeing to safer places leaving their properties. Dozens of villages have already wore a deserted look along the borders. But there was no report of any casualty from the Bangladesh side.

When contacted, BDR Commanding officers Lt Colonel Shaedul Haque Shahed of Panchagarh 25 Rifle Battalion and Lt Colonel Zahid Hassan of Naogaon 28 Rifle Battalion and officials of Dinajpur sector of BDR claimed the BSF side fired first and the BDR retaliated on self-defence.

"We have already lodged strong protests against the BSF actions and atrocities and asked our BSF counterparts to hold flag meetings and explain the reasons behind this kind of provocation," they told BSS.

Earlier, the BSF side sought apologies on Friday to the BDR authorities during three flag meetings when the BDR men strongly protested the killings of four Bangladeshi villagers and injuring four others on Tentulia, Porsha and Joypurhat borders.

The BSF side also assured the BDR authorities that they would not repeat such incident in the future.