Kolkata:

Border Security Force (BSF) claimed on Sunday that a notorious cross-border narcotics smuggler, out on bail, died after spending nearly five hours in the cold waters of the Ichhamati River along the Indo-Bangladesh Border (IBB).

N K Pandey, DIG and spokesperson, South Bengal Frontier, BSF identified the accused as Babai Barai.

He added that Babai Barai, along with an accomplice, was fished out from beneath a bed of water hyacinths in the river around 4 am and taken to the Angrail Border Outpost in West Bengal’s North 24-Parganas district.

“At the BOP, they were provided with blankets and served hot tea. A fire was also lit, so they may warm themselves. After a while, Barai started feeling uncomfortable and was rushed to the nearest hospital where treatment began. However, he died during the process. The exact cause of death will only be known from the autopsy report,” said DIG Pandey.

DIG Pandey added troops of the 5th Battalion, BSF, spotted four persons attempting to cross the IBB with some packages and sharp-edged weapons around 11 pm on Saturday.

“As the BSF jawans approached, the four attacked them. In an act of self-defence, a BSF personnel fired a shot in the air. On hearing the noise, two of the miscreants fled back towards India. The remaining two jumped into the river,” he said.

The DIG said a Quick Reaction Team (QRT) of the BSF secured the area immediately and searched both banks of the river.

“Two packages were recovered with 500 bottles of cough syrup that is classified as a banned substance under the Narcotics, Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act,” he said.

He added that the search continued and around 4 am, Barai and his accomplice were found under the water hyacinth.

“They scuffled with our jawans which led to minor injuries to the BSF personnel. The two were finally overpowered and taken to the Angrail BOP. We have come to know that Barai served a two-year sentence under the NDPS Act and was released in 2021. He was arrested again by the BSF on May 25 this year and was out on bail. He continued to smuggle narcotics and gold across the IBB, even after that,” Pandey said.

The officer claimed that despite being attacked and having information about Barai’s criminal past, the BSF personnel provided all assistance and also rushed him to the hospital.

“The fact that his associate is in good health establishes the fact that all necessary provisions were made to keep the two warm and as comfortable as possible,” Pandey said.

He added that Barai’s associate has been handed over to the local police station along with the contraband. A case has also been registered accordingly.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Five Bangladeshi nationals who illegally crossed into Indian territory were arrested by the Tripura police and Border Security Force on Sunday in a coordinated operation.

The arrests were made following a tip-off, said Inspector Paritosh Das, officer-in-charge of West Agartala police station.

Mr Das said that the operation was launched after authorities received intelligence about the illegal entry of some Bangladeshi nationals in bordering Lankamura town on the outskirts of Agartala. Acting swiftly, the police and BSF detained the suspects. During interrogation, they admitted to being Bangladeshi nationals.

All five arrested are from Chapai Nawabganj district in the Rajshahi division of Bangladesh.

The police intend to produce the suspects before the court in Agartala, seeking remand for further interrogation to identify and arrest the cross-border touts involved in this illegal crossing at the Indo-Bangladesh border.

The arrests point to the ongoing challenges of securing the India-Bangladesh border and the concerted efforts by law enforcement agencies to prevent illegal crossings.

Border Security Force personnel keep vigil along the Indo-Bangladesh International Border. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

The Border Security Force (BSF) is on high alert along the Indo-Bangladesh border in Assam in response to the ongoing crisis in Bangladesh. District Commissioner Mridul Yadav said that the Integrated Check Post (ICP) has been closed since Monday (August 5, 2024) and not just import-export, even the movement of people is closed.

“We are on high alert and are ensuring that no incident of violence takes place. The BSF is on high alert. The Integrated Check Post (ICP) has been closed since Monday and not just import-export, even the movement of people is closed. An Army company has come, they are camping with the BSF to provide additional security… Since last week, no Indian student or Indian citizen has come to this side,” Mr. Yadav told ANI.

Union Home Ministry creates committee to monitor the safety of Indians in Bangladesh

In Assam, four districts — Cachar, Karimganj, Dhubri, and South Salmara — share their border with Bangladesh. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs has formed a committee, led by the Additional Director General (ADG) of the BSF Eastern Command, to monitor the situation at the Indo-Bangladesh Border (IBB).

The Additional Director General of BSF, Eastern Command, is the chairman of the five-member Committee. In a letter dated on August 9, Under Secretary to the Government of India Smitha Viju said, “It has been decided to constitute a Committee consisting of the following members for the above-mentioned subject a) ADG, BSF, Eastern Command as the Chairman, b) IG, BSF Frontier HQ South Bengal, C) IG, BSF Frontier HQ Tripura, d) Member (Planning and Development), LPAI and e. Secretary, LPAI.

BSF sends back 1,000 men, mostly Hindus at India-Bangladesh border in Cooch Behar district

“The office memorandum further stated that the above committee will maintain communication channels with their counterpart authorities in Bangladesh to ensure the safety of Indian citizens and people belonging to minority communities in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is facing a fluid political situation with Sheikh Hasina, tendering her resignation from the position of Prime Minister on August 5 in the wake of mounting protests.

The protests erupted in early July due to demands for reforming the quota system that reserves civil service jobs for specific groups, including descendants of 1971 war veterans.The unrest intensified after students opposed a new policy allocating government jobs to descendants of freedom fighters, leading to violence, including attacks on state television headquarters and police booths in Dhaka.

Agartala/Guwahati:

The India-Bangladesh border would remain open for 24 hours to facilitate the students and other people of India and other countries to enter from the trouble-torn neighbouring country, where the situation remains extremely volatile due to the protests on quota issue for the last three weeks.

A Border Security Force (BSF) spokesperson said that Tripura Frontier Inspector General (IG) of the force, Patel Piyush Purushottam Das, and other senior officials are in close contact with the Bangladesh Army, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Bangladesh Police to evacuate the India-bound students and other people.

“The BSF is closely monitoring the situation across the border and troops are on high alert,” the spokesman told IANS, adding that the Tripura Frontier IG has assured all possible assistance to the students and other people entering India through various checkposts.

He said that the BSF has made all necessary arrangements including refreshments and transport at the check posts to facilitate smooth arrival and further movement of these students to their destinations.

Students of India and other countries who are studying in Bangladesh are returning to India as the students’ agitation has now become violent in the neighbouring country.

According to BSF sources, over 600 students from India, Nepal, and Bhutan along with some stranded tourists from trouble torn Bangladesh returned to India on Saturday through the checkposts of Tripura, Assam and Meghalaya along the border with the neighbouring country.

Over 600 students, mostly Indian, returned to India on Friday through the Tripura, Assam and Meghalaya borders.

“The students of India and other countries are mainly coming from Dhaka, Comilla and Brahmanbaria. The Indian students belong to northeastern states, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, West Bengal and Jammu and Kashmir,” the BSF spokesman said.

Five Indian states — West Bengal (2,216 km), Tripura (856 km), Meghalaya (443 km), Mizoram (318 km) and Assam (263 km) share a 4,096-km border with Bangladesh.

Officials from the state governments of northeastern states along with police and BSF officials are camping in the various checkposts in Tripura, Assam and Meghalaya to receive the students and other people from Bangladesh.

The High Commission in Dhaka and the Assistant High Commissions in Chittagong, Rajshahi, Sylhet and Khulna are available on helpline numbers for any assistance required by the Indian nationals.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in Delhi that around 15,000 Indian nationals, including 8,500 students, reside in Bangladesh.

He said that External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is monitoring the situation, while the High Commission in Dhaka will provide regular updates on the situation there.

Meanwhile, the External Affairs Ministry has urged Indian nationals in Bangladesh to follow the advisory issued by the High Commission in Dhaka and to be in touch with the High Commission.

Bangladesh has announced the imposition of a curfew and the deployment of military forces after police failed to quell days of deadly unrest that has spread throughout the country.

Violence erupted in the country after protests by students demanding reforms in the quota system for government jobs.

The clashes between student demonstrators and police have killed at least 105 people so far.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)