Tripura's Dakshin Ramnagar tense after BSF man, civilian killed in clashes

Tension prevailed in Tripura's Dakshin Ramnagar area on Saturday, as villagers of the area gathered in front of the police headquarters with the body of a civilian identified as Ismail Mia to demand action against Border Security Force (BSF) personnel who were involved in a Friday night clash with the villagers.

Apart from Ismail Mia, a BSF jawan Sandeep Kumar, was killed and ten others were injured in the clash, which took place in an area that was just about a kilometer's distance from state capital Agartala.

The incident reportedly took place after BSF personnel chased some people, who were alleged to be smugglers during a routine patrol of the area near the India-Bangladesh border on Friday night.

BSF Deputy Inspector General B.S. Rawat was quoted by media, as saying that of the ten injured, nine were villagers.

Rawat maintained that it was the villagers who attacked the BSF personnel first with long staves (lathis), and added that initially, the BSF fired in the air to disperse the mob, and then, opened fire in "self defence".

ANI was also told that as per circumstantial evidence available at the spot of the incident, there were several liquor bottles, and that at the time of his death,Ismail Mia was in an intoxicated state.

Sandeep Kumar was lynched by the villagers, Rawat was quoted, as saying.

The injured are being treated at Agartala's G.B. Hospital.

On Saturday, the Tripura Government ordered the District Magistrate of West Tripura District, Abhishek Singh to conduct a magisterial probe of the incident.

Personnel of the Tripura State Rifles (TSR) have been deployed in the area to prevent further untoward incidents. By Pinaki Das/Ashok Dixit

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