On Sunday, BSF officials said a group of smugglers attacked a jawan while smuggling Phensedyl, following which forces retaliated. One smuggler was killed in the ensuing exchange, reported India Today.
The incident in question took place in the early hours of Sunday, in the area of Border Out Post Sagarpara, 141 Battalion where a patrolling party was alert for suspicious activity after receiving intelligence inputs from the BSF's intelligence department.
The smugglers, upon being encountered by the BSF jawans, immediately attacked the patrol with stones and a bladed weapon. The patrol party was forced to use lethal force in self-defence.
In the ensuing firing, one smuggler was killed and another was left injured.
The other smugglers fled under the cover of darkness, leaving their injured accomplice behind.
The jawans seized 532 bottles of Phensedyl from the smugglers. The deceased smuggler has been identified as Indian national Rohil Mandal, a resident of Murshidabad.
The border is used as a route for smuggling livestock, food items, medicines, and drugs from India to Bangladesh. Moreover, illegal immigrants from Bangladesh cross the border to India.
Because of a large number of illegal immigrants crossing from Bangladesh into India, a controversial shoot-on-sight policy has been enforced by the Indian border patrols. This policy was initiated with reports of violence between the illegal migrants and Indian soldiers.
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