GUWAHATI: A jawan of the Border Security Force (BSF) sustained serious head injuries in stone pelting by Bangladeshi smugglers.
The incident occurred on the intervening night of January 20 and 21 near the Narayanganj border outpost falling under the BSF’s 90th Battalion in Cooch Behar, West Bengal.
The BSF’s Guwahati frontier in a statement said the troops deployed on the border observed suspicious movement of a large number of miscreants on the Bangladesh side on January 20.
“These individuals had illegally and wilfully violated the sanctity of the international border and were attempting to smuggle contraband items with the help of their Indian associates. Alert BSF jawans challenged them to stop their unlawful activities and return to Bangladesh territory. However, the Bangladeshi miscreants ignored repeated verbal warnings,” the statement said.
The statement further stated that by adopting an aggressive posture, the smugglers abused the BSF personnel and resorted to stone pelting in which a jawan of the force sustained serious head injuries. He was evacuated to a BSF hospital for treatment.
The BSF said despite the attack, the troops exercised utmost restraint and used non-lethal measures to disperse the smugglers. Following a search later, the personnel recovered 50 bottles of contraband items.
“In light of the vulnerability of the border and the increasing activities of trans-border criminals and anti-national elements, BSF troops remain ever vigilant to curb trans-border crimes. They continue to make every effort to ensure that the Indo-Bangladesh international border remains crime-free,” the statement said.