On the night of August 11-12, along the India-Bangladesh border in District Malda, West Bengal, jawans from the Chandnichak Border Outpost of the 115th Battalion, under the BSF South Bengal Frontier, were brutally attacked by Bangladeshi smugglers armed with sharp-edged weapons. The smugglers attempted to smuggle contraband items, but the jawans foiled the attempt by firing in self-defense, ultimately driving the assailants back. In this retaliatory action, one Bangladeshi smuggler was killed. Sharp weapons and contraband items were recovered during a search of the area.
According to reports, during the second shift at the Chandnichak Border Outpost on August 12, a jawan, with the help of PNVB, observed 5-6 individuals moving goods on their heads from the Indian side toward Bangladesh. The jawan quickly moved in to intercept and challenged the smugglers to stop. Ignoring the challenge, another group of 5-6 miscreants hiding in the reed grass attacked the jawan with sharp weapons. Fearing for his life, the jawan fired one round at the smugglers in self-defense. Despite the gunfire, the smugglers continued to move toward Bangladesh. Meanwhile, a second jawan challenged the assailants, who took advantage of the wild bushes and darkness to attack him as well. The second jawan, also feeling threatened, fired another round in self-defense. After the firing, all the miscreants fled back toward the Indian border, using the darkness and wild bushes for cover. The company commander, who was on patrol duty, immediately reached the spot and, along with the jawans, searched the area. They recovered six bundles of bidi leaves and found one Bangladeshi smuggler injured in the jungle. He was taken to the government hospital in Mahesil, Murshidabad, where he later died during treatment.
Sources have revealed that the name of the deceased is Abdullah and he is a Bangladeshi smuggler, who is a resident of Rishipara village in the border district Chapainawabganj of Bangladesh. Rishipara village is 4.5 km inside Bangladesh from the IB. This smuggler had crossed the security cordon of Bangladesh’s BGB (Border Guard Bangladesh) and entered the Indian border illegally to take a consignment of bidi leaves.
This is not an isolated incident. Similar deadly attacks on BSF jawans by cattle smugglers and illegal intruders have occurred at the Sector Headquarters in Berhampur and Malda, within the Murshidabad and Malda districts of West Bengal. Attacks have also been reported at the Natna Forward, Kaharpara, and Anuradhapur Border Outposts, as well as at the Mahedra and Ghojadanga Border Outposts under Sector Headquarters Kolkata and Krishnanagar in the North 24 Parganas and Nadia districts. In these incidents, jawans fired stun grenades, PAGs, and other weapons in self-defense, preventing smuggling attempts and illegal intrusions, and seizing 682 bottles of Phensedyl, 50 kg of sugar, and one cattle.
Meetings were held with the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) following all these incidents, during which strong protests were lodged against the unprovoked deadly attacks by Bangladeshi smugglers. A preliminary report has also been lodged at the concerned police station regarding the attack and the defensive firing.
A.K. Arya, DIG the spokesperson for the BSF South Bengal Frontier, stated that such incidents are not uncommon in their line of duty. He praised the BSF jawans for performing their duties with exceptional courage and vigilance. Despite frequent flag meetings with the BGB to alert them about the ongoing attacks and illegal infiltration by Bangladeshi criminals, no concrete action has been taken. This inaction has emboldened the smugglers and criminals. Nevertheless, our jawans remain steadfast in protecting our borders and ensuring the security of our nation under all circumstances.
