Silchar: Tension prevailed along the India-Bangladesh border in Assam’s Cachar district on Tuesday after a 66-year-old Indian farmer was allegedly abducted and taken into Bangladesh by a group of suspected Bangladeshi miscreants, officials and local residents said.However, the farmer was handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF) by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) in the evening. He was taken to Indian side through the Bhanga BOP. Soon after Das was taken to Katigorah model hospital where he is undergoing treatment. There are injury marks in his head and other parts of the body, a source said.The incident occurred around 11am in the Kinnorkhal border area under Katigorah, triggering concern among residents of frontier villages.According to local sources, the victim, identified as Ranjit Das (66), a resident of Chandinagar Part-II village, was cutting grass for cattle fodder on agricultural land located on the Indian side of the border beyond the barbed-wire fence when seven to eight people allegedly crossed over from Bangladesh and forcibly took him across the international boundary.Panic spread in the area, with villagers gathering near the border soon after the news. Personnel of the Border Security Force (BSF) reached the spot and began an inquiry into the alleged abduction.Sources said the BSF has established contact with Bangladesh’s Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) to ascertain Das’s whereabouts. A flag meeting between the two forces is being planned to discuss the incident and facilitate the safe return of the Indian national.The alleged cross-border abduction heightened anxiety among residents in the border belt, who raised concerns over security and demanded immediate intervention to secure Das’s release.SP (Cachar) Sanjib Kumar Saikia, Silchar MP Parimal Suklabaidya, Katigorah MLA Kamalakshya Dey Purkayastha and North Karimganj MLA Jakaria Ahmed visited the spot to assess the situation and speak with local residents.“I have urged the BSF and the border police to take immediate action and ensure that the Indian citizen is rescued without any harm,” Suklabaidya said.Officials said necessary measures were being taken and expressed hope the matter would be resolved at the earliest through coordination between the BSF and the BGB.Cachar district shares a 32-km-long international border with Bangladesh. While Kinnorkhal falls within Cachar district, the area comes under the North Karimganj assembly constituency of Sribhumi district.
Villagers protest against BSF near the barbed wire fence
