SHILLONG, Aug 30 – Rejecting an informal compensation offer from Bangladesh authorities for the attack on a villager, an Indian village near the International border has unanimously resolved to protect themselves from Bangladeshi marauders with their licensed guns.
The largely prosperous village, Lapalang, has about 380 households, mostly betelnut and broom stick planters. However, Bangladeshi marauders have been a constant irritant as the village produce get stolen routinely.
Most of the villagers of Lapalang have licensed guns. The plantations are guarded day and night. The villagers have these concealed platforms on trees which they liken as “tree bunkers” where villagers sit in shifts and laboriously guard the plantations.
Last week, however, one villager was grievously attacked by Bangladeshi marauders near the village on the International border. The attack followed the shooting down of two Bangladeshis by the Indian villagers.
After the attack on the Indian villager, the Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guards Bangladesh held a flag meeting, but before that BSF approached the Lapalang villagers with an informal compensation offer from the Bangladeshi side for the attacked victim.
Not only did the villagers reject the compensation, they also resolved to fight back and said there won’t be peace if the Bangladeshis continue to indulge in theft of their produce.
“We don’t want compensation, but security. Henceforth, we would do what is needed to protect our village and plantations,” Oberness Marsynting, village head of Lapalang said.
In fact, the villagers are also cross with the BSF for their less than enthusiastic security in the area. They also allege harassment and illegal collection of village produce by the BSF.
Meanwhile, efforts are on to bring peace on both sides of the International border by the Indian and Bangladeshi authorities.