A 20-year-old in Cooch Behar was gunned down by the Border Security Force (BSF) near the India-Bangladesh border on Thursday early morning.

BSF authorities claimed that Jahanur Haque, the deceased, was associated with cross-border smuggling. His family members, however, strongly denied it and said he was a migrant worker.

According to BSF sources, Haque was a member of a large smuggling syndicate operating on both sides of the border.

Around 5am, while the on-duty BSF personnel were conducting routine night-domination operations, they spotted a group of alleged smugglers attempting to breach a portion of the border fence. As the BSF’s sentry challenged them, they surrounded him and attacked him with sharp weapons, the source said.

“The BSF jawan, who got outnumbered, warned attackers before opening fire. Due to the firing, a smuggler suffered fatal injuries while others fled the spot,” said the source.

Haque was a resident of Bhoram Payasthi village in Dinhata-I block.

His family, however, categorically denied his role in smuggling.

Rina Bibi, his mother, said her son worked in Bangalore and came home around 10 to 12 days ago.

“He is not associated with smuggling. In the morning, we came to know his body was lying near the border. We suspect the BSF picked him up from somewhere near our house and killed him without reason,” she said.

Bibi said that they own three bighas of farmland beyond the border fence. “For cultivation, we have my husband, son and my name enrolled with the BSF so that we can move beyond the fences. As I could not find my son today, I initially thought he had gone to the field. Later, I came to know that he had been killed,” the grieving mother added.

Trinamool leader and North Bengal development minister Udayan Guha accused the BSF of killing Haque without provocation.

"People residing near the India-Bangla border are bearing the brunt of BSF atrocities for years. The youth was a migrant worker and had come home for Eid celebrations. The BSF alleged he was a smuggler, but nothing was recovered from him,” he said.

“BSF is often shooting at bordering villagers. This is unacceptable,” Guha, who is also the Dinhata MLA, added.

Sources in the central security force said they act according to operational guidelines. “The BSF operates under a strict mandate to safeguard India’s borders while adhering to the principle of proportionality in the use of force. The BSF personnel responded to a clear and present threat, and the actions taken were in line with operational guidelines,” said a source.