By IANS,
Agartala : At least two civilians were killed and five other people, including a para-military trooper, were injured when Border Security Force (BSF) personnel opened fire after a clash with a mob in Tripura Monday, the police said.
The violence erupted at Boxanagar village, 60 km west of Tripura capital Agartala, when BSF troopers went to the village bordering Bangladesh to catch ‘ganja’ (hemp) smugglers.
“The (Indian) villagers, including women, attacked the BSF jawans after the troopers seized a huge quantity of raw ganja and caught some smugglers, forcing the para-military personnel to open fire in self-defence, killing Amir Hussain, 33, and Mahabul Mia, 30, on the spot,” police spokesman Nepal Das said.
Das said: “The BSF troopers opened fire on the mob when they attacked the security personnel, injuring constable N. Rai, 42, and tried to prevent the detention of the people. Four villagers, including two women, were also injured in the BSF firing.”
BSF sources, however, said: “The smugglers equipped with country-made guns and sharp weapons along with villagers tried to overpower the five troopers, who acting on a tip-off had gone to the spot to seize the ganja and catch the smugglers.”
Serious tension has been prevailing in the border villages after the incident. Senior BSF and police officials have rushed to the spot with reinforcements.
Despite border fencing and strict vigil by the BSF, infiltration, trans-border movement and smuggling of various essentials and narcotics have been continuing along the India-Bangladesh border.
Tripura has an 856-km-long boundary with Bangladesh, which shares 4,095 km border with India.