INDIA ACCUSES PAK. ARMY OF KILLING 41 INDIANS
PROTESTS BORDER INCURSIONS
NEW DELHI, April 28 (AP)
THE INDIAN Government said Wednesday night 41 Indians have been killed or injured by Pakistan army units in the five separate border violations since Monday.
The Foreign Ministry warned the Pakistan High Commission that ‘serious consequences’, could follow if the Pakistan armed forces did not stop its ‘aggressive activities and intrusions into indian teritory along the border with East Pakistan.’
The details of the incidents previously announced by official sources in Calcutta, were contained in three separate, strongly word protest notes sent to the Pakistan High Commission. 43913400187285 UcB Sara Tower 11/1 Toinbe Sicular Road $ 2,000 duel Visa j 4,000
In the most serious incident, according to the Indian foreign ministry, a Pakistan army column tuesday afternoon entered the Indian enclave of Banspachi, about 275 miles northeast of Calcutta, and ‘Induldged in indiscriminate firing and arson, causing least 25 casualties’, while the note did not say how many persons had been killed or injured, Indian press reports have said that all the victims died.
A second note accused the Pakistan Army of two border violations Tuesday in the Bongaon area about 65 miles (105 km) Northeast of Calcutta that has served as the major entry point for hundreds of thousands of East Pakistanis seeking refuge in India since the civil war broke out in their province last month.
The note said that five persons were killed and three wounded when the Pakistan Army crossed the border from East Pakistan and fired into Lakhimpur village Tuesday.
It added that Pakistan Army units in the same area also intruded into Indian territory and opened fire on a patrol of the para-military Indian border security forces.
The presence of regular Pakistani Army units near Benapole is a violation of a longstanding agreement by which the two countries have kept their troops at least u 1,000 meters from the border, claims India.
The Indian side is manned by para-millitary units of the Border Security Force but the regular army is not far to the rear.
At Boyra, 12 miles north of here, Pakistan troops Tuesday were involved in the most serious incident on the Bengal frontier since partition 25 years ago.
Some 20 Pakistani soldiers violated the frontier in pursuit of Bangla Desh fighters and killed five civilians, including a woman.
The incursion followed a brief firefight between Bangla Desh troops and the Pakistan army in a village just inside Pakistan. According to eyewitnesses, the secessonist forces withdrew across a river but continued firing from Indian territory.
Diplomatic Crisis
The diplomatic crisis between the two countries showed no signs of easing, with India rejecting a Pakistan request that staff members of the Indian Deputy High Commission in Dacca which was shut down on Monday, be repartiated through Katmandu, Nepal.
An Indian foreign Ministry Spokesman said that the proposal was ‘discriminatory’ because whole Pakistan wanted Indians to be repatriated through a third country it had asked that members of the now closed Pakistan Deputy High Commission in Calcutta be allowed to fly directly of Karachi.
Reference : Indonesian Observer, 29.04.1971