Pakistani mortar shell recovered near India-Bangladesh borders in Bengal’s Cooch Behar
When one of the construction workers first noticed the shell, he mistook it as some ordinary explosive and panicked.
The Border Security Force (BSF) has foiled an infiltration attempt along the Indo-Bangladesh Border (IBB) in West Bengal’s Nadia district, officials said.
A.K. Arya, DIG and spokesperson, BSF, South Bengal Frontier, said that the incident took place on Saturday at around 2.40 a.m. under the jurisdiction of the Ranghat Border Outpost.
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“A jawan of the 68 Bn BSF spotted activity across the Kodalia river that forms a natural boundary between the two countries. About 8-10 Bangladeshis were entering India through a banana plantation. When the jawan challenged them and ordered them to retreat, they rushed forward in a bid to attack him with sharp-edged weapons. The jawan first hurled a stun grenade but this wasn’t enough to deter the group. He then fired two rounds at them. The intruders then fled back towards Bangladesh, taking advantage of the darkness and the dense foliage,” the DIG said.
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He further said that attempts to smuggle drugs at Ranghat and Mamabhagina (in Nadia) were also thwarted by the troops. “BSF jawans were also targeted by Bangladeshi criminals at several outposts in the North 24-Parganas, Murshidabad and Malda districts. At some locations, jawans have had to use stun grenades and pump action guns,” Arya added.
“After the infiltration attempt, a meeting was convened with Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and a strong protest was registered. Unfortunately, despite several meetings, the BGB refuses to take any action against miscreants. This inaction emboldens them to carry out criminal activities along the IBB. However, our jawans are vigilant and will continue to safeguard the interests of the nation,” the DIG said.
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