The government has decided to equip the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) with sound grenades and tear gas canisters as their Indian counterparts used identical weaponries by now, Home Affairs Adviser retired Lieutenant General Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said here today.
“We have already given nod to purchase sound grenades and tear shells for the BGB,” he told reporters in reply to a question after emerging from a meeting on law and order at his Bangladesh Secretariat office here.
Asked what could be possible for Indian reaction to the decision, Chowdhury said there was no scope for India to take it “negatively” as their Border Security Force (BSF) already used identical weaponries on frontiers with Bangladesh.
The adviser said the BGB currently were equipped with lethal or mortal weapons to be used if or when the situation would dictate.
Asked if BGB was allowed to use the weapons to be procured he posed a counter question why the paramilitary force would not use them if required after purchasing the sound grenades and tear gas canisters.
According to weapon experts, a sound grenade, also known as a stun grenade or sound bomb, is a non-lethal explosive device used to temporarily disorient mobs or enemies with a very loud bang.
The tear gas, on the other hand, causes excessive tearing, burning, blurred vision in one’s eye, difficulty in wallowing in the mouth, and a choking sensation in the lungs.
Cox’s Bazar Life Desk/BSS
