BSF Jawans Detained in Bangladesh by BGB, Released after 'Flag Meet'

Agartala, February 21, 2020:

Two Border Security Force (BSF) Jawans who had been detained by the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) have returned to India after a flag meeting held under the jurisdiction of Rahimpur Border Outpost in Tripura's Sepahijala district on Thursday.

“The Jawans while pursuing some smugglers crossed the border border by mistake and trod 50 meters into Bangladesh territory..”, a BSF source informed Inside Northeast.

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The incident reportedly took place on Thursday morning when a patrolling team of Rahimpur BOP initiated an operation after noticing some suspected smugglers in the bordering area.

Sources said a group of smugglers were trying to breach the fencing with some consignment. In order to evade arrest, the group entered Bangladesh with the Indian Army Jawans in pursuit. Out of the 7 Jawans who were giving pursuit, two would go on to enter Bangladesh.

“The smugglers with help from the local sympathizers tricked the Jawans and tried to trap them instantly. As the Jawans entered a bordering village of Bangladesh, Ram Chandra Ghat, they were held captive by the locals and the BGB was alerted with some misleading information” a source in the BSF added.

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A team of BGB reached the spot and detained both of them prompting the BSF to convene a flag meeting. “In the flag meeting, all the confusion was cleared and both of the Jawans were released. The troops belonged to 74 Battalion BSF”, our source informed.

Meanwhile, speaking on the lines of trans-border smuggling, a BSF spokesperson said that the smuggler class is being largely helped by the community leaders and villagers of the bordering areas.

There are, he said, specifically two reasons for supporting the smugglers. The first reason—huge business opportunities through smuggling and the second reason is unchallengeable power of the smugglers in those areas. The BSF have stated that Single Border Fencing could curb the cross-border fencing to a great extent.

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