A gang of Bangladeshi "smugglers" allegedly attacked the on-duty personnel of the Border Security Force (BSF) on Wednesday morning at the border in South Dinajpur district.

The BSF had stopped a group of persons from the neighbouring country on Tuesday night, but they ran away to the Bangladeshi side of the border.

When five persons tried to infiltrate again on Wednesday morning, the BSF stopped them. Then, these persons attacked the BSF with sharp-edged weapons.

One BSF jawan was injured. When he opened fire in self-defence, one of the Bangladeshis was injured.

BSF sources said that these persons were cough syrup smugglers.

Sources said that on Tuesday night, some Bangladeshis illegally crossed the international border near Mallikpur, an Indian village located near the fence.

As the BSF troops challenged them, they ran and crossed over to Bangladesh.

Early on Wednesday, around five Bangladeshi smugglers infiltrated India from the same area on Wednesday morning. It is not clear whether they were members of the group that was chased away on Tuesday night. They were carrying sharp weapons like daggers and wire cutters, besides sticks.

A BSF team spotted them and asked them to stop. Instead, the smugglers attacked the team with sharp weapons.

The BSF fired non-lethal ammunition to deter them. The smugglers, however, continued their aggression and confined the team of security personnel.

One of them also tried to snatch the rifle of Arfesh Kumar, a BSF jawan, and attacked him.

Kumar opened fire at the Bangladeshi smugglers in self-defence.

Md Alauddin, one of the alleged smugglers, was hit by a bullet and collapsed on the spot. The others fled.

More BSF troops reached the spot. Both the BSF jawan and the Bangladeshi smuggler were taken to the super-specialty hospital in Gangarampur for treatment.

In another incident, the BSF nabbed Feroze Gani, a Bangladeshi smuggler, on Tuesday from Laxminarayanpur, a village bordering the district under Tapan police station limits. Sources said he was trying to smuggle four cattle heads to Bangladesh.