Agartala: Bangladeshi miscreants attacked BSF personnel on duty in Tripura border. A gang of Bangladeshi smugglers backed by villagers attacked BSF personnel on duty with sharp weapons and even tried to snatched their weapons.
A tense disagreement between Border Security Force (BSF) troops and Bangladeshi miscreants on 7th January near Tripura’s Pillar No. 47 in Maguruli Gram Panchayat, Kailashahar under Unakoti District, became violent. The conflict, which took place in broad daylight, increased tensions along the international boundary between Bangladesh and India as villagers attempted to steal firearms from BSF jawans and attacked with sharp weapons.
Reports state that the conflict started when Bangladeshi smugglers tried to cross the border with large amounts of bidi, (handmade cigarettes). While on patrol, two BSF personnel stopped the gang and barred them from entering Indian territory illegally. The BSF jawans pursued the traffickers across the border into a Bangladeshi village after they persisted in their actions in spite of warnings. Bangladeshi Border Guards (BGB) arrived to settle the situation while the BSF men retreated to Indian territory. The BSF personnel’s presence close to the border, however, infuriated the local villagers, who started screaming insults and then attacked. According to reports, the villagers attacked the BSF jawans with sharp objects and attempted to snatched their firearms.
According to eyewitnesses, a BGB personnel tried to protect the BSF jawans from the crowd, but when the villagers accused the jawans of firing within Bangladeshi territory and acting inappropriately toward women, tensions increased. Religious slurs and other offensive comments exacerbated the tense atmosphere. The Bangladeshi villagers fled when BSF reinforcements arrived, but the event has caused tension in the Maguruli Gram Panchayat border area. As officials attempt to defuse the situation, all sides are now keeping a tight eye on the area.
