Islampur, Nov. 28: The BSF and the BDR exchanged fire till late in the evening today at Kokradaha under Goalpokhar police station in North Dinajpur, after the former shot down an alleged Bangladeshi infiltrator.

According to BSF and police sources, trouble started around nine this morning, when patrolling jawans spotted a man trying to cut through the barbed wire fence and escape into Bangladesh. The jawans reportedly challenged the man, who dared them to stop him. The man was then shot dead by the BSF jawans in the chase that followed.

Soon after this the BDR reportedly started firing at the BSF, who returned fire. The police said Mungli Tudu, a 16-year-old girl, suffered a bullet injury in the abdomen during the exchange of fire. She was sent to North Bengal Medical College and Hospital for treatment, they said. Raju Tudu, the girl’s father, said she was returning home with firewood when the bullet, fired by the BDR, hit her.

Though the firefight continued sporadically till evening, there was a lull in the firefight for an hour from 10 am. Following the incident, the BSF asked villagers of Ambari, Jangipara, Phulbari and other areas to retreat to safer places.

The BSF finally arranged a flag-meeting with their counterparts, around seven in the evening. At the meeting, which was held at the commandant level, the BDR men identified the dead man as Mohammad Ashraf — a resident of Dhanbad village under Baliadangi police station of Thakurgaon district in Bangladesh. The body, which has been handed over to the police this evening, will be given to the BDR at a flag-meeting, after a post-mortem tomorrow.