Two Tripura farmers injured in attack by Bangladeshis along border in Unakoti district

The exchange of barbs soon spiralled into a scuffle, resulting in two Indian farmers sustaining multiple wounds from sharp weapons like dao (machetes) used by the Bangladeshis, said the BSF official, who requested anonymity. A few Bangladeshis were also injured in the brawl and one of them was reported to have died during treatment in Sylhet district of Bangladesh, he added.

Why were the farmers outside the border fence?

Tripura shares an 856-km border with Bangladesh, including land-based and riverine borders, much of which is covered with barbed wire fencing, except for a few patches that remain unfenced due to local disputes. Due to provisions of the 1971 Indira-Mujib Pact and the Indo-Bangla Border Agreement signed in 1975 between the BSF and the then Bangladesh Rifles (now Border Guards of Bangladesh), there is no no-man’s-land along the international border. Instead, barbed wire fences were erected by India and border pillars were set up by Bangladesh inside their respective territories at a distance of 150 yards from the zero line, as per the agreement.

Are people still living outside the border fence?

The barbed wire fencing process began nearly 21 years ago under the Indira-Mujib Pact, primarily to ensure national security, prevent infiltration, insurgency and reduce border-related crimes. According to the Elections Commission of India, 1,500 people live beyond the barbed wire fence in the West Tripura Parliamentary constituency alone. Some people live outside the fence in the East Tripura Parliamentary seat as well, though their figures are not available. Over five decades later, many families continue to cling to their ancestral lands outside the barbed wire fence without adequate compensation or livelihood opportunities. These lands are Indian territory, even though they are located behind the barbed wire fence. Conversely, hundreds of others have agricultural land outside the fence and check in with the BSF every morning to tend their fields, returning within the fence by evening as border gates close by 5 pm.

What happened at Kailashahar?

On Sunday morning, Karim Ali, 28, and his brother Jamir Ali, 34, both farmers from Hiracherra, checked in with the BSF and went outside the fence to tend their fields along with a few other villagers. BSF and local sources said the villagers were met by a few Bangladeshis who had similarly crossed to their side of the zero line.

“One of these Bangladeshi nationals, who also has relatives on the Indian side, was learnt to have raised objections to the Indians tending their fields and claimed the land was theirs. An exchange of barbs started and it soon spiralled into a full-blown scuffle. Before BSF personnel could intervene, two Indians were hacked with sharp weapons and injured… The BSF rescued the Indians and rushed them to a local hospital, where they were treated,” the BSF official said.

Tension along the border

Tension prevails along the border following the incident, especially since it occurred just a day after the opposition Congress held a “long march” close to the border in protest against an alleged unilateral embankment construction on the Bangladesh side, which could potentially inundate large tracts of Indian territory during the monsoons. However, the BSF said the situation is under control in the area and that the force has already taken up the issue with Border Guard Bangladesh officials at a flag meeting. Officers from the local Irani police station have visited Karim Ali and Jamir Ali and registered a case in connection with the incident.

Recent transgressions along the border

The BSF has been using rubber bullets, pump-action guns and other non-lethal weapons to reduce fatalities and curb border crimes along the international border. Lethal weapons are reserved for severe attacks from cross-border smugglers or criminals.

Recently, BSF personnel have faced assaults and attempts to snatch their service weapons by border criminals, many from Bangladesh.

On January 18, a woman and a child sustained minor pellet injuries from BSF firing at Boxanagar in Sepahijala district after smugglers attempted to encircle the force’s personnel. To prevent escalation, the BSF fired a round from a pump-action gun, injuring two smugglers. The BSF also seized banned Eskuf syrup and a large number of rice bags.

Earlier, on January 12, BSF mahila praharis thwarted a smuggling attempt in Sepahijala, intercepting a group armed with sharp weapons. The women personnel fired lethal bullets at the smugglers after they attempted to snatch their weapons.