Three Border Security Force (BSF) personnel, including an Assistant Commandant, were injured on Monday during a violent clash with villagers near the Ashabari Border Outpost in Tripura’s Sepahijala district, close to the India-Bangladesh border. The incident happened in the Boxanagar area under Kalamchoura Police Station after BSF detained a local person over suspected cross-border activity or an alleged assault during routine operations.
Police and BSF said that members of the 49th Battalion saw suspected Indian and Bangladeshi individuals involved in illegal activity near the border fence. They tried to stop them and detained one Indian suspect, while the others reportedly ran away. The situation got worse when a large group of villagers, including women, gathered and blocked the Ashabari-Rahimpur road.
A BSF vehicle carrying Assistant Commandant Rohit Kumar, driver Sunil Kumar, and another personnel member, Manjit, arrived from the Rahimpur side. The crowd attacked them with bamboo sticks, poles, stones, and other objects, damaging the vehicle and trying to take a service weapon. One constable was seriously injured in the head and body. The weapon was briefly taken but later recovered. Sources said the attack was an unprovoked act of revenge related to anti-smuggling efforts.
Villagers said that a young man named Hefzur Rahman, son of Shahajan Miah, was detained and assaulted by BSF personnel around 10 am while he was clearing vegetation near Natun Bazar, close to Ashabari Gram Panchayat. They claimed he suffered a leg fracture, which led to the protest and road blockade.
The three injured BSF personnel were first treated at Boxanagar Hospital, then moved to Tripura Medical College and Dr BR Ambedkar Memorial Hospital in Hapania, Agartala, for further care. Some reports also said the detained youth was injured. More forces from the Ashabari Border Outpost, local police, armed police, and Tripura State Rifles were sent to restore order. The situation is now under control, but tension remains in the area.
Police arrested nine people, including three women, for the attack. Some earlier reports mentioned six or eight arrests. A case has been filed against about 19 named people on charges such as attempt to murder, snatching a weapon, and stopping public servants from doing their duty. The BSF also filed an FIR at Kalamchoura Police Station.
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha strongly condemned the incident. On social media, he called the attack on the “brave BSF personnel” a brutal and unacceptable act of violence by miscreants. He said any attack on security forces is a serious issue that must be handled firmly by law. He told authorities to act quickly and strictly against those responsible and stressed that security personnel deserve full respect and protection. The chief minister confirmed the arrests and said everyone involved would be brought to justice.
This incident indicates the ongoing challenges of managing local tensions and suspected cross-border smuggling along Tripura’s sensitive Indo-Bangladesh border. Police and BSF are still investigating the details, the people involved, and the full sequence of events that led to the attack.