Rakhi festivity lights up the border
Border guards of Bangladesh and India celebrated Rakhi Bandhan, a celebration of the sacred relationship between brothers and sisters, at different points of the zero line along Bangladesh-India border yesterday.
Female members of Indian Border Security Force (BSF) in Hili camp tied rakhis (one kind of wristband) around the wrists of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) troops of Hakimpur camp in Dinajpur, reports our correspondent there.
They also exchanged greetings with the BGB men and distributed sweets among them. The BGB members gave the female BSF men flowers and gifts and vowed to protect them.
Male BGB and BSF members hugged each other.
"We forgot the restrictions of our jobs for a while," said Jamil Badsha, commander of BSF Hili camp.
Every day, the BSF and BGB men performed their duties in the same area, but they hardly got chances to exchange greetings, he said.
"Sometimes, we are locked in altercations for the security purpose of our country. But such programme will help us forget the bad days," he said.
Hundreds of people along the borders of the two countries witnessed the programme.
"We want that the border guards of both the countries celebrate such programme every year," said Sushanta Roy, who returned home from India yesterday and witnessed the programme.
Hakimpur BGB camp commander Subedar Sirajul Islam said such celebration would help strengthen brotherly relations between the border guards of Bangladesh and India.
Our Thakurgaon correspondent adds, female members of Phulbari BSF camp in Siliguri tied Rakhi on the wrists of BGB men of Banglabandha camp in Tentulia upazila of Panchagarh.
A colourful programme was held on the Phulbari BSF camp premises organised by Dabgram Phulbari Trinomul Jubo Congress Committee.
James Kujur, minister of tribal development of West Bengal government, attended the programme as the chief guest, while Lt Col Al Hakim Md Nawshad, commanding officer of BGB Battalion-18 in Panchagarh, and RP Singh, staff officer of North Bengal frontier of BSF, were present at the programme as guests.