The incident occurred at the Border Outpost Nawada on the intervening night of January 10 and 11 when a group of 15-20 armed smugglers attempted to forcefully smuggle the contraband across the border, ignoring the warnings of BSF personnel.

The infiltration bid was foiled and the smugglers were driven back to the Bangladesh side, the BSF said.

The smugglers aggressively advanced towards the border fence, flashing high-beam torches, as BSF jawans fired two blank rounds as warning. They attacked the jawans with sharp weapons and sticks, said BSF.

“To protect themselves, the jawans were forced to fire two live rounds in self-defence, successfully repelling the smugglers. Following the incident, 572 bottles of Phensedyl, a sharp-edged weapon, and a high-beam torch were recovered from the scene,” said BSF spokesperson.

The officer said that the possibility of any smuggler getting injured in the firing done in self-defence cannot be ruled out.

Similar incidents of attempted smuggling and infiltration were reported in the past few days in Murshidabad district, where BSF personnel employed stun grenades and other non-lethal weapons to deter the intruders.

The firing incidents and subsequent seizures have been reported to the respective police stations, and the confiscated items have been handed over to the authorities.

The Central force expressed concern over the continued aggression from Bangladeshi smugglers despite regular flag meetings with the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB).

“Despite regular flag meetings with the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) to address these forced infiltration and attack attempts by Bangladeshi criminals, no concrete actions have been taken by the BGB, emboldening the smugglers and criminals. Nevertheless, the BSF personnel remain steadfast in protecting the borders and ensuring the nation’s security under all circumstances,” said N K Pandeym, DIG, South Bengal Frontier.