Two Indian nationals sustained serious injuries after the Indian Border Security Force allegedly opened fire on them along the Daikhawa border in Ulipur upazila of Kurigram on Sunday afternoon.
The injured men were identified as Ismail Hossain, 35, and Khaja Abdul Alim, 39, who are residents of Barobalu village under Sukchar Police Station in Assam’s South Salmara-Mankachar district.
Following the shooting, the two men crossed into Bangladesh where local residents rescued them and initially took them to a clinic in Rangpur. The Detective Branch of Rangpur Metropolitan Police later transferred the pair to Rangpur Medical College Hospital for advanced treatment.
Sanatan Chakraborty, Deputy Commissioner and DB chief of Rangpur Metropolitan Police, confirmed the development to media, noting that the two individuals were formally arrested in a case filed over illegal border crossing.
Medical examinations revealed multiple pellet wounds on their bodies alongside a burn-like injury on one of the victims. Authorities have launched an investigation into the precise circumstances surrounding the border incident and the BSF firing.
While local residents suspected the men had crossed the border for cattle smuggling and were mistakenly targeted, the injured individuals offered a different account. They claimed they had visited a char area near the border simply to graze cattle.
According to their statement, BSF personnel detained them, attempted to push them across the border, and opened fire following a physical scuffle when they resisted. One of the injured, Khaja Abdul Alim, appealed to the governments of India and Bangladesh to arrange their repatriation.
Police and local witnesses reported that the gunfire originated from near Assam’s Narayanpur land port toward Daikhawar Char within the Brahmaputra River area of Ulipur.
Why it matters
The border shooting incident highlights ongoing security sensitivities and cross-border movement issues along the Bangladesh-India frontier.