NEW DELHI: Even as BDR jawans surrendered en masse at their headquarters in Dhaka on Thursday evening, India decided to remain in high alert mode to secure its borders of suspected misadventures from Bangladesh side.
Without any command structure, the mutiny in a rudderless BDR that has now spread to all 12 border sectors of Bangladesh is not likely to subside soon, top sources told The New Indian Express. “With at least 70 of the top brass killed by mutineers, the BDR is like a rampaging wild elephant with no one to command it. The situation is very fluid along the border where the BDR has entrenched deep to fight the Bangladesh army,” a senior Home Ministry official said.
Amid high uncertainty, problems for the BSF increased as the BDR, with army hot on its tail, sent strong feelers to help it get refuge in case of any exigency. BSF sector commanders received these feelers at least from three BDR sectors in Bangladesh _ Khulna, Rajshahi and Sylhet that lie opposite BSF sectors of Hili in South Dinajpur, Berhampur and Shillong respectively.
Hili sector commander received a written request from its BDR counterpart.
There were apprehensions that the Bangladesh army may then attack Indian posts to get BDR men back thus forcing India to retaliate in defence and bring the two countries close to war. Civilians were sent with messages by the BDR even as violent clashes between the army and BDR were reported along the entire Bangladesh border.
“They have said that ‘do not fire at us even if there is some crossfire, we will fight the army till we can but if things go worse, we will come to you. We are counting on you’,” said a BSF source. The unprecedented situation forced the Indian security think-tank to go into a huddle. The BSF has been given clear instructions from the Government after one emergency meeting called by the Cabinet Secretary and another by the Home Minister to “take BDR men into custody” as per procedure if they seek help. “They would be then handed over to authorities at an appropriate time,” said a senior official.