Shillong: Border Security Force (BSF) has lodged a strong protest with its Bangladeshi counterparts over an incident of assault on its personnel by dry pea smugglers from the neighbouring country, in Meghalaya's West Jaintia Hills district, officials said.
BSF on Wednesday asked Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) to take action against the accused smugglers. Three country boats from Bangladesh, loaded with dry peas, were seized on August 20 after they entered India through the Myntdu river, called Hari in Bangladesh, a BSF spokesperson said.
The remaining two boats fled back to Bangladesh, he said. When the BSF personnel asked the smugglers to stop, they attacked the troops, forcing them to retaliate by firing non-lethal pump action gun, resulting in some injuries to the smugglers, he said.
Patrolling has been intensified in the area, the spokesperson said, adding BSF has requested BGB to join hands in curbing smuggling across the international border. Meghalaya shares a 443 km-long border with Bangladesh, several stretches of which are not fenced.
