Two Bangladeshis were killed by gunfire from the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) late Friday night at the Pathariadar border in Kasba upazila of Brahmanbaria on Friday night.
The victims have been identified as Mursalin, 22, son of Hebju Mia from Batenbari village and an HSC second-year student at Gopinathpur Shah Alam Degree College, and Nabir Hossain, 40, a resident of Madhupur village.
Their bodies are currently at GB Hospital in Agartala, according to family sources.
Family members said a group of smugglers persuaded Mursalin to leave his home and accompany them to the Pathariadar border, while Nabir Hossain and several others were also at the location.
BSF personnel allegedly opened fire on the group, killing Mursalin on the spot. His body was reportedly taken across the border into India. Nabir Hossain, who was injured during the incident, was taken to a hospital in India, where he later died while undergoing treatment.
Nabir Hossain’s son, Md Tapan, said his father had not been home since the evening and confirmed through various sources that he was killed after BSF gunfire at the border.
Lieutenant Colonel SM Shariful Islam, commander of Sultanpur Battalion-60 of the Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB), confirmed the incident.
He said that about 15 Bangladeshi smugglers, with assistance from Indian counterparts, entered approximately 200 yards into Indian territory near Dhajanagar-Pathariadar.
When they attempted to transport smuggled goods, BSF patrols from the 49th Battalion at Pathariadar camp opened fire, killing one immediately and wounding another, who later succumbed to injuries at an Indian hospital.
The bodies of both victims are in the process of being repatriated to Bangladesh through a flag meeting
