Villagers detain Indian national in Panchagarh border standoff following arrest of Bangladeshi man by BSF
Photo Collected
Tensions escalated along the Panchagarh border on Saturday after residents detained an Indian national in retaliation for the alleged abduction of a Bangladeshi elderly man by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF).
The stand-off began after 78-year-old Tamiz Uddin, a resident of the Birajot border area in Satmera Union, was reportedly detained by the BSF on Wednesday. According to his family, Uddin had crossed into Indian territory while searching for a stray cow. His son, Ajahar Ali, stated that his father is elderly, hearing-impaired, and has mobility issues. Ali asserted that the family would not release the detained Indian national until his father is returned.
In response, local villagers intercepted an Indian citizen, identified as 35-year-old Dipankar Gop, on Saturday morning near the 742 main pillar of the border. Villagers claimed they found Gop, a tea garden worker from the Choulhati-Tasarpara area of Jalpaiguri, inside a local sugarcane field. Residents have since refused to hand Gop over to law enforcement until Uddin is released.
A flag meeting between the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Magurmari Border Outpost (BOP) and the BSF Choulhati camp company commanders was held on Saturday afternoon, but the session failed to produce a resolution.
Lieutenant Colonel Taifur Hasan Mahmud, commander of the Nilphamari 56 BGB Battalion, stated that the BSF informed the BGB during the meeting that they had indeed detained a Bangladeshi national, but alleged the individual was involved in smuggling. The BSF claimed the man had already been handed over to the Indian police.
“We are monitoring the situation closely,” Lieutenant Colonel Mahmud said, noting that while the BSF denied the initial account provided by the villagers, the BGB is investigating the matter. Regarding the Indian national detained by villagers, the commander indicated that local police would handle the legal proceedings.
As of Saturday night, Dipankar Gop remained in the custody of local villagers under the watch of police and BGB personnel stationed in the area.
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