Border Guards of Bangladesh (BGB) has said cattle smuggling on Bangladesh-Indian border takes place due to the failure of the Indian Border Security Force (BSF).
The BGB came up with the statement on Sunday while protesting a statement of a BSF officer in a report on cattle smuggling published by an Indian newspaper last week.
“The Indian Express published a report on July 6, quoting DIG of the South Bengal Frontier of the BSF SS Guleria, which claimed Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) supports cattle smuggling. This report as well as the BSF statement is totally baseless,” BGB said in a statement.
In fact assembling of cattle by Indian smugglers in the area adjacent to the Indo-Bangladesh border and then transporting those to Bangladesh prove the inaction of the BSF in preventing cattle smuggling, said the BGB statement.
“This lack of action raises so many questions and actually such statement is made to cover up BSF’s failure in checking cattle smuggling on the border,” it added.
BGB noted that the Indian smugglers are sending cattle to Bangladesh in a bid to get more profit which harms the Bangladeshi cattle farmers.
In this context BGB has taken a tough stance in preventing cattle smuggling.
BGB holds regular meetings involving the local representatives, law enforcers and general people to create awareness against cattle smuggling.
Moreover, the frequency of patrolling on the border has been enhanced to check cattle smuggling.
The Indian daily also claimed that the cattle smuggling from Bangladesh increased recently due to the Eid Ul Azha as muslims in Bangladesh sacrifice cattle.
Refuting the notion the BGB, quoting Livestock Affairs Minister S M Rezaul Karim, said that the country has a stock of 11.8 million cattle against the demand of less than 10 million during Eid Ul Azha.
BGB enhanced its guards against cattle smuggling to ensure that the local cattle farmers would not get affected due to cattle smuggling.
The force also protested a statement of the BSF DG, who said, these cattle were raised with much care but sacrificing these animals during the Eid Ul Azha tantamount to torture.
This statement by the BSF DG SS Guleria is an insult to Muslims biggest religious ceremony Eid Ul Azha, and also hurts sentiment of religious Muslims, the BGB said.
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