One killed as BDR opens fire on illegal loggers

An illegal logger was shot to death and 20 others, including BDR soldiers, were wounded in clashes that erupted after the border guards opened fire to prevent timber smuggling in Feni's Phulgazi upazila yesterday, officials said.
They said Harun-or-Rashid, 40, a resident of Chhagolnaiya upazila, died on the spot as the law enforcers opened fire on three smugglers who, carrying Indian timber in a pick-up van, defied a BDR order to pull up at Tarakucaha village at about 1:30pm.
Harun was driving the vehicle, officials said adding that his death ignited a series of clashes between locals and BDR.
Giving a spot account of the incident, locals said two persons aboard the pick-up managed to escape, leaving behind the vehicle while another was struck by bullet.
BDR jawans also beat up Mintu, brother of Harun, as he later came to the spot.
"Hearing the incident, local people got angry and swooped on the BDR men," says the spot report.
At 4:00pm, a clash between BDR and locals again flared up, and this time, the BDR men fired 30-35 gunshots. Local people were beaten up during the melee.
The situation was brought under control at about 6:00pm with the intervention of police.
BDR handed over the pick-up van with timber to local police. Police took the body for autopsy.
A local BDR official said the border force "fired in the air as smugglers tried to take away the smuggled timber and the body".
Six jawans of the BDR were also injured in the massive troubles.