BSF jawans were attacked by Bangladeshi cattle smugglers on the India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district on Thursday night, a statement from the paramilitary force said. In a retaliatory action carried out in self-defence, the jawans successfully foiled the smuggling attempt and recovered 10 bulls, it added.

The incident took place at Khutadah border outpost (BOP), where BSF personnel saw smugglers approaching the border fence from the Indian side with cattle. Simultaneously, smugglers from the Bangladesh side crossed the international border into India.

When the BSF jawans challenged them to stop, the smugglers ignored the warning and advanced aggressively, wielding sharp-edged spears while attempting to cut the border fence. In response to the threat, a BSF jawan fired a blank round as a warning. "Taking advantage of the darkness and uneven terrain, the smugglers fled back to Bangladesh. A subsequent search of the area led to the recovery of 8 bulls of Haryana origin and three sharp-edged spears left behind by the attackers," the statement by BSF South Bengal Frontier said.

Previous incidents of similar smuggling attempts and assaults have been reported at Pipli BOP (Kolkata sector) and BOPs HC Pur and Nawada (Malda sector), where BSF jawans were forced to defend themselves using stun grenades and other weapons, the statement added.

A BSF spokesperson said despite frequent flag meetings with the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) to raise concerns about these attacks, no concrete action has been taken by Bangladeshi authorities.