A Bangladeshi national died on the international border in Jalpaiguri district on Saturday early morning when a BSF jawan fired in self-defence after being attacked by a gang of alleged Indian and Bangladeshi smugglers.

After the incident, the smugglers fled, taking advantage of the darkness. They had breached border fences to smuggle cattle into Bangladesh. Two cattle heads and some sharp weapons have been recovered from the spot.

Sources said BSF troops were patrolling the border in Khalpara, a village under the jurisdiction of Rajganj police station in Jalpaiguri district, on Saturday early morning.

They spotted a group of 15 to 20 Bangladeshi smugglers entering the Indian territory by breaching the fence. Some Indians also joined them to smuggle cattle.

A portion of the barbed wire fence that was breached by the alleged Bangladeshi smugglers. BSF

“The BSF team asked the smugglers to surrender. The smugglers, however, attacked the security personnel with sharp weapons and hurled stones at them. This made the troops use non-lethal ammunition like stun grenades and pump action guns to disperse them,” said a source.

The smugglers, however, didn’t leave and went on fighting with the BSF personnel. They tried to snatch the firearms. A BSF jawan sustained serious injuries.

“In such a situation, the jawan fired from his firearm to deter the smugglers. The smugglers fled towards both sides of the border. Later, the BSF conducted a search and found an injured person who later died,” the source said.

The injured jawan was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Although the BSF didn’t reveal the identity of the deceased, the Bangladeshi media said Al Amin, 36, had died in the firing.

“The deceased youth was associated with smuggling,” a report published by the website of Jamuna Television said quoting the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).

Amin was a resident of Jinnatpara, a village under the Haribhasa union board of the Panchagarh Sada Upazila of the Panchagarh district of Bangladesh, according to
the report.

He had been missing for the past two or three days.

“The BSF recovered his body. Later, the BGB and the BSF held a flag meeting where the BGB demanded that his body be handed over to Bangladesh. The BSF has said that the body will be handed over after necessary formalities,” said the report by Jamuna Television.