A constable of the Border Security Force was killed on Thursday allegedly by smugglers trying to take cattle into Bangladesh.
The incident occurred under the Khalsi border outpost of the BSF, which comes under Swaroopnagar police station of West Bengal North 24 Parganas district, in the early hours of morning.
A BSF press release said that a group of cattle smugglers attacked the constable with sharp weapons, bamboo sticks and country-made fire arm. Constable Rashikul Mondal was brought to RG Kar Hospital in the city where he was declared dead. The BSF authorities later held a flag meeting with their counterpart, Border Guard Bangladesh, and urged them to arrest those responsible in the attack and hand them over to the BSF.
“The BGB authorities were requested to check entry of Bangladeshi nationals into Indian territory,” a BSF statement said.
While two BSF personnel had died after being attacked by cattle smugglers in 2013 in the year 2014, 78 BSF jawans sustained injuries trying to prevent cattle smuggling. Cattle smuggling along India- Bangladesh border is a flourishing industry even though country does not export cattle. Senior BSF officials have estimated that the annual turn over from the illegal trade is about Rs 5,000 crore.
It is also believed by a section of BSF that adoption of non-lethal strategy in dealing with cattle smugglers has emboldened the cattle smugglers who are attacking the BSF personnel posted along the border. West Bengal shares about 2,000 km border with Bangladesh that is highly porous.
