Bangla man killed in BSF firing

Bangla man killed in BSF firing
Another Cattle Smuggler Injured, Claims He Was Engaged By An Indian
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Malda: A Bangladeshi citizen was shot dead and another injured when BSF personnel fired at least 35 rounds at Sirshi Kalaibari outpost on Monday. The incident took place early in the morning when the Bangladeshis were allegedly smuggling cattle out of India. The body of the man who was shot dead and the injured were handed over to police. P S Tomar, the DIG of BSF (Malda range), said: “It is a major achievement on our part to catch Bangladeshi smugglers along with cattle.” While keeping vigil early on Monday, the BSF jawans of battalion 183 noticed a group of 20-22 persons taking out cattle through the unfenced border of Shirshi under Habibpur police station. When they tried to stop them, the smugglers suddenly opened fire. In fact, firing also started from across the border. In retaliation, BSF started firing as well, which killed one of the smugglers and injured another. BSF recovered six cattle while the rest crossed the border. The smuggler’s body was brought to Malda district hospital. “We’ll hold a meeting with BDR and hand over the body,” said Tomar. The injured man said his name is Mohammad Safiqul and he is a resident of Bholahat in Bangladesh. He was first taken to Bulbulchandi Hospital and later, referred to Malda. He was shot in the leg. “This was the first time I was trying to smuggle cattle. I had been engaged for Rs 200 by an Indian,” he said from his hospital bed. Safiqul revealed that 32 cattle in all were to be taken to Bangladesh. SP Satyajit Bandyopadhyay said: “We hope to get some vital clues after interrogating Safiqul.” The rising demand of beef in Bangladesh is apparently leading to a rise in cattle smuggling from India. And, it is being allegedly aided by none other than Bangladesh Rifles. A huge racket, allegedly involving even political leaders, is operating in this smuggling business. On January 8, a huge clash had broken out between BSF and smugglers when at least 18 camels were being smuggled to Bangladesh. Exchange of fire between BSF and smugglers had killed three camels while two had been injurd.