A 24-year-old Bangladeshi national was shot dead by the Border Security Force (BSF) on Thursday early morning in an attempt to thwart a smuggling bid of Phensedyl cough syrup along the international border in West Bengal’s Malda district.
The Bangladeshi national has been identified as Ibrahim – a resident of Dhulipara in Chapai Nawabganj district of Bangladesh.
Chapai Nawabganj district is in Bangladesh and is located nearly six km from the International Border of Malda’s Nawada BSF border post.
As per the statement issued by the BSF, the incident took place around 1.40 am nearly 200 meters inside the Indian territory.
“The jawan posted in the area of the Border out Post (BoP) Nawada saw the movement of 15-20 suspected smugglers in Indian territory near the International Boundary at around 1.40 AM. At the same time, about 15-20 smugglers from the Bangladesh side also came close to the Border fence violating the sanctity of the International Boundary with arms and sticks,” the BSF statement reads.
It further says, “On seeing the movement of the smugglers, the BSF jawan on duty challenged them. Sensing trouble, the Bangladeshi smugglers attacked the jawan with stones and sharp iron weapons (Dah). The jawan first tried to stop and drive away from the smugglers by lobbing non-lethal stun grenades but it had no effect on the group of smugglers. With no other options, for the sake of self-defence and protection of life and property, the BSF jawan was compelled to fire with his personal weapon, due to which a Bangladeshi smuggler got injured near the fence. Whereas on hearing the sound of fire, the rest of the smugglers managed to escape, leaving the injured partner behind, taking advantage of the darkness.”
The injured smuggler Ibrahim was rushed to Malda Medical College and Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. During treatment, he revealed that he had come to collect Phensedyl cough syrup bottles on the behest of a Bangladeshi smuggler identified as Kalu Sheikh @ Kalam Sheikh of Chapai Nawabganj district in Bangladesh.
Total 197 bottles of Phensedyl including one mobile phone and 2 iron rods were recovered from the spot.
Meanwhile, the BSF has also protested with its counterpart Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and requested them to intensify their vigil to prevent Bangladeshi nationals from entering the Indian side illegally.
This is the second such incident in recent months along the Bengal-Bangladesh border.
On November 12, two Bangladeshi men suspected to be cattle smugglers were gunned down along the border in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district when the BSF thwarted their attempt to enter Indian territory.
Then, speaking exclusively to News18.com Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Friday urged that ‘border killings of trespassers’ must be stopped by Border Security Force (BSF) and reiterated that the Indian forces should ‘patiently’ handle such situations along the Indo-Bangladesh border.
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