Smuggling bid thwarted along India-Bangladesh border in Bengal; man killed, BSF jawan injured

Siliguri: A Bangladeshi national was killed and a BSF jawan was injured on Friday as the border protection force thwarted a smuggling bid along the India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal, a spokesperson said.

The incident took place in the early hours of Friday near the Khalpara village in Darjeeling district.

The Border Security Force (BSF) spokesperson said a group of 15-20 Bangladeshi miscreants crossed the International Border illegally and entered "well inside" the Indian territory.

These people were joined by miscreants from the Indian side to smuggle cattle and contraband, the spokesperson said.

After a BSF patrol party asked them to surrender, "all the miscreants" attacked with 'dah' (similar to a sickle), sticks and also pelted stones, he said.

The BSF troopers fired non-lethal ammunition to disperse the attackers but they did not relent and tried to "snatch" the weapon of a jawan. "Sensing a threat to his life, the jawan fired from his rifle and the miscreants fled," the spokesperson said.

A Bangladeshi man was killed and a BSF jawan was "badly injured", he said, adding the border fence was found "breached" by Bangladeshi smugglers.

Two cattle that the miscreants tried to smuggle have been seized the said.