Update on the Ashabari BSF attack

This is a follow-up to the November 2 mob attack on BSF personnel at Ashabari village in Tripura's Sepahijala district, and to the first arrests reported after it, when eight accused were held and 19 people were named in the case. Read the earlier report: eight arrested, 19 named

Agartala, November 6: The number of people arrested in connection with the attack on Border Security Force (BSF) personnel in Tripura's Sepahijala district has risen to 18, including three women, after police arrested eight more accused, police officials said on Friday, IANS reported.

Source: IANS via BizzBuzz

A senior police official said the fresh eight arrests were made from different parts of Sepahijala district on Thursday night and early Friday morning in connection with the November 2 incident at Ashabari village, under Kalamchaura police station, along the India-Bangladesh international border. An intensive search operation launched immediately after the attack was still underway to apprehend the remaining accused, the official said.

Source: IANS via BizzBuzz

Eighteen people have now been arrested, including three women, ENewsTime reported, confirming the same fresh arrests on Thursday night and early Friday and that the eight newly arrested persons will be produced before a local court in Sepahijala district at the earliest.

Source: ENewsTime

CM Saha chairs high-level security review

Chief Minister Manik Saha, who had strongly condemned the attack and directed stringent action, chaired a high-level meeting with senior security officials on Thursday night to review the incident and the overall law and order situation. In a post on X, Saha said he chaired the meeting at the TIFT Conference Hall in Agartala in the presence of senior officials from the state administration, police, BSF, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Assam Rifles, and that authorities were directed to ensure strict legal action, adopt zero tolerance towards cross-border smuggling and strengthen security measures.

What happened on November 2

According to police, the incident occurred on November 2 when BSF personnel intercepted a group of alleged smugglers attempting to smuggle ganja (cannabis) across the India-Bangladesh border. The BSF personnel were then reportedly surrounded and attacked by a mob of around 50 men and women, leaving three personnel, including a Company Commander, grievously injured. The attackers also allegedly snatched a pump-action gun from one of the personnel and damaged a BSF vehicle; one of the alleged attackers was also injured. These are police accounts of the incident and the allegations against the accused, who are yet to face trial.

Charges and custody

All 18 accused have been booked under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984. The first 10 accused were earlier produced before a court; following the court's orders, the male accused were remanded to police custody while the women were sent to judicial custody.

Tripura shares an 856-km-long international border with Bangladesh and is surrounded by the neighbouring country on three sides, which officials say makes it vulnerable to cross-border smuggling and illegal movement; except for a few stretches, most of the border is fenced. What happens next is the court production of the eight newly arrested accused and the continuing search for the remaining accused.