Tripura: 2 BSF personnel killed, one injured following altercation

Isa Khan · Sep 25, 2021

Two Border Security Force (BSF) personnel were killed and another injured after they opened fire following a brawl at a location along the Indo-Bangladesh border in south Tripura’s Gomati district on Thursday evening.

Speaking to indianexpress.com, Gomati district’s superintendent of police, Sashwat Kumar, said, the incident took place at Silachari in Karbook, about 60 km from Agartala, at around 6.30 pm on Thursday. “One BSF personnel fired at another following an altercation while they were on duty and killed him on the spot. After he returned to the outpost, he started shooting at others as well in a fit of rage. In self-defence, a sentry had to shoot back that killed him,” the official added.

Kumar further informed that a BSF sub-inspector, who tried to pacify the situation was also fired at and received a bullet injury to his leg. He was rushed to the Govind Ballabh Pant (GBP) Hospital in Agartala and is undergoing treatment there.

The deceased have been identified as constable Pratap Singh and head constable Satvir Singh of the 20th Battalion, a duty officer from the Tripura Police headquarters said. It has been learnt that it was constable Pratap who killed Satvir Singh while the two were on duty. Pratap was later killed by a sentry after he returned to the outpost and started shooting.

The BSF, through a statement, has also confirmed the incident. “On 23rd September 2021 evening in an unfortunate incident, which started with a minor altercation at the duty Observation Post near the border fencing, ultimately led to fratricidal cross firing in which two BSF personnel namely head constable/general duty Satbir Singh and constable/general duty Pratap Singh of 20 Bn BSF died at the spot and one BSF personnel namely Sub Inspector/general duty Ram Kumar, Post Commander of BOP Khagracheri received bullet injury on his both legs,” the statement read.

It added that a departmental inquiry is being conducted to find out the actual cause of the incident and an FIR was lodged at the Silacheri police station.

In a similar incident in April 2019, a BSF constable of 166 Battalion posted in North Tripura had gone on a shooting spree on his colleagues and had later killed himself using his service rifle.