Three BSF personnel and several villagers were injured during a violent clash in Tripura’s Sepahijala district following protests over an alleged custodial assault. Police launched an investigation as tension remains high along the border area.
Severe tension gripped the Ashabari border area under Kalamchoura police station on Monday after a violent confrontation broke out between local villagers and Border Security Force (BSF) personnel. The clash left three BSF troopers and several local residents injured, prompting heavy deployment of security forces to prevent further deterioration of law and order.
The trouble began around 10:00 AM near Natunbazar road, adjacent to Ashabari Gram Panchayat. According to local reports, troopers belonging to the BSF’s 49th Battalion were conducting routine jungle clearance operations along the sensitive border stretch when they detained a local youth identified as Hefzur Rahman, son of Shahajan Mia, on suspicion of smuggling activities.
Villagers alleged that Rahman was subjected to severe physical assault while in custody, sustaining a critical fracture in one of his legs. News of the alleged custodial torture spread rapidly across nearby habitations, triggering spontaneous public outrage. Within hours, hundreds of agitated residents gathered and staged an indefinite road blockade along the key Ashabari-Rahimpur artery near Natunbazar, demanding immediate suspension and disciplinary action against the accused troopers.
The situation escalated dramatically when a BSF four-wheeler (registration number TR-01-AL-1051) from the 49th Battalion, travelling from Rahimpur toward Boxanagar, crossed into the blockade area. The vehicle carried Company Commander Rohit, driver Sunil Kumar, and another trooper identified as Manjit.
Eyewitness accounts indicate that an enraged mob surrounded the vehicle and attacked the occupants with bamboo poles, wooden sticks, and stones. All three troopers sustained grievous blunt-force injuries before reinforcements from the Ashabari Border Outpost and a police contingent from Kalamchoura police station reached the scene to disperse the crowd and bring the crisis under control.
The injured BSF personnel were immediately evacuated to Boxanagar Hospital for primary stabilization before being transferred to the Tripura Medical College and Dr. BRAM Teaching Hospital in Agartala for advanced medical care. Rahman was also taken for medical examination and treatment.
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Cross-complaints have been registered by both the BSF and local representatives at the Kalamchoura police station. Senior BSF officials and district police authorities visited the site to inspect the damage and evaluate security measures. While vehicular traffic was later restored under tight monitoring, palpable tension persists across the Ashabari border belt as investigators work to reconstruct the timeline and identify those responsible for the violence.
