Two Indian nationals have been seriously injured in what they allege was a shooting by India’s Border Security Force (BSF) near the Ulipur border area in Kurigram. They were later taken into Bangladesh and are now receiving treatment at Rangpur Medical College Hospital.
The injured men have been identified as Ismail Hossain, 35, and Khaja Abdul Alim, 39, both residents of Barabalu village under Sukhchar police station in South Salmara-Mankachar district of India’s Assam state.
Hospital sources said the two men are being treated in Bed No. 15 of the male surgery ward on the fourth floor of the old hospital building. Both have multiple injuries resembling pellet wounds, with visible bleeding and other bodily trauma.
Speaking from his hospital bed, Ismail said the incident occurred at around 2pm on Sunday, 4 October, when he and Alim were tending to their cattle on a char near the Narayanpur land port area in South Salmara-Mankachar district.
According to Ismail, BSF personnel approached them and accused them of being Bangladeshi nationals. He said they told the personnel that they were Indian citizens and that the cattle belonged to them, denying any involvement in cattle smuggling.
Ismail alleged that the BSF personnel did not accept their explanation and subsequently took them across two rivers before explosions were heard and shots were fired. He claimed that he lost consciousness for nearly an hour following the incident.
He further alleged that the two men were eventually left on the Bangladeshi side of the border. After regaining consciousness, they sought help from two Bangladeshi fishermen who were working in the area. The fishermen reportedly took them first to Jatrapur Hospital.
As the injured men could not receive treatment there, they were later taken to a private hospital in Rangpur at around 9pm, according to Ismail. The two fishermen subsequently left, and police later became aware of the matter. At around 1.30am, the injured men were admitted to Rangpur Medical College Hospital.
A visit to the hospital found multiple pellet-like wounds across Ismail’s body. His right hand was bleeding and had been bandaged by doctors, while he was also receiving intravenous fluids.
Alim was reportedly in a more serious condition and was unable to speak. He also had multiple pellet wounds across his body, while his right abdomen had been bandaged after sustaining a gunshot injury.
The allegations have not been independently verified. No statement was immediately available from the BSF regarding the incident or the circumstances surrounding the injuries.
Although the incident was reported to have occurred in the Ulipur border area of Kurigram, Kurigram Superintendent of Police Khandaker Fazle Rabbi could not immediately provide details about the matter.
Attempts were also made to contact Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Mahbub-ul-Haque, commander of the Kurigram Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) battalion, for comment. He did not answer the phone.
Rangpur Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Sanatan Chakraborty confirmed that the two injured men were undergoing treatment at Rangpur Medical College Hospital. He said they were also subject to legal procedures.
The incident comes against the wider backdrop of security concerns along the Bangladesh-India border, where disputes involving cattle movement, alleged smuggling and unauthorised crossings have periodically created tensions. In such cases, establishing the exact location and sequence of events is particularly important, as accounts from those involved may differ from the findings of border authorities.
For now, the condition of the two men is being monitored at the Rangpur hospital, while official clarification from the relevant border authorities remains pending.
