The Border Security Force (BSF) foiled a major infiltration attempt across the India-Bangladesh border, close to the Amudiya border outpost in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district on Saturday night, an official said on Sunday.

A BSF trooper on duty was attacked and had to lob a stun grenade and then fire a round from his service rifle to deter the intruders and send them back. The BSF has not ruled out the possibility of any of the infiltrators being injured in the firing.

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“The jawan spotted 10-15 people moving across the fields towards the Indo-Bangladesh Border Road (IBBR) and alerted his colleagues over the radio. He then moved forward and challenged the mob, ordering them to retreat. Suddenly, 3-4 people, hiding in the field, attacked the jawan with sharp weapons and canes. The jawan realised that he was outnumbered and used the stun grenade. This did not deter the miscreants who attempted to attack him again. This was when the jawan fired a single round in self-defence,” BSF DIG, South Bengal Frontier and spokesperson A.K. Arya said.

Criminal activities seem to have increased along the India-Bangladesh border over the last several weeks.

On Saturday, infiltration attempts were made close to the Madhupur, Maluapara, Haldarpara, Banpur and Matiyari Border Outposts in the state’s Nadia district. BSF personnel were attacked by cattle smugglers close to the Charamrashi Border Outpost in Murshidabad and the Sasni Border Outpost in Malda, and they had to use stun grenades and fire from Pump Action Guns (non-lethal) as well as regular weapons to fend off the attacks.

The BSF has registered strong protests against such activities with Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and lodged reports at local police stations.

“In spite of frequent flag meetings with BGB to alert them about frequent attacks and illegal infiltration by Bangladeshi criminals, no concrete action has been taken from their side. This inaction has emboldened the smugglers and criminals. Nevertheless, our jawans are resolute in protecting our borders and ensuring the security of our nation under all circumstances,” Arya said.