AGARTALA — Police in Tripura arrested three more accused on Saturday, November 7, in the November 2 mob attack on Border Security Force (BSF) personnel at Ashabari village in Sepahijala district, taking the total number of arrests in the case to 21, including four women, IANS reported, citing police officials.

Source: IANS

Among those held are the two prime accused, Rabiul Hossain and Mahabul Hossain. According to ANI, the two were brought to the Ashabari Border Outpost from an area under Bangladesh's Salda BGB camp following a flag meeting between the BSF and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) at around 4 pm on Saturday, and were then handed over to Kalamchaura police station, where Sepahijala Superintendent of Police Bijoy Debbarma and other senior officials questioned them.

Source: ANI

Sepahijala SP Bijoy Debbarma said 18 people had been arrested earlier and three more were arrested on Saturday. He said the man who snatched the weapon from BSF personnel and the man seen beating personnel during the attack were both among those arrested on Saturday, ANI reported.

Investigators say video footage purportedly shows Rabiul snatching the service rifle of a BSF jawan during the attack, while Mahabul is seen assaulting BSF personnel with a stick, IANS reported. These are allegations under investigation and have not been tested in court. The third person arrested on Saturday was Hasina Khatun, identified by ANI as Rabiul's mother, who was detained from the Kalapania area of Sonamura.

What happened on November 2

The violence took place on November 2 at Ashabari village, under Kalamchaura police station in the Boxanagar area along the India-Bangladesh border, after BSF personnel intercepted a group of alleged smugglers attempting to move ganja (cannabis) across the border. Police say a mob of around 50 men and women surrounded and attacked the personnel, leaving three, including a Company Commander, grievously injured; a pump-action gun was snatched and a BSF vehicle was damaged, IANS reported. Awaaz Punjab earlier reported the attack and the subsequent arrests, which had reached 18 by November 6.

All 21 accused have been booked under provisions 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. ANI reported that seven male accused arrested in the first phase were produced before a court on Saturday and sent to seven more days of police remand. The Northeast Herald reported that Rabiul and Mahabul are to be produced before a court on Sunday, and that the accused already produced are to be presented again on November 13, citing Sepahijala district court Public Prosecutor Gautam Giri.

Source: Northeast Herald

In a linked anti-smuggling action, a joint team of the BSF, Customs and Tripura Police raided Rahimpur Bazar, adjoining Ashabari, and seized a large quantity of illegally stored fireworks and biscuits, the Northeast Herald reported; investigators describe the Ashabari-Rahimpur belt as a long-used cross-border smuggling corridor in Sonamura subdivision. Police said an intensive search operation, using electronic evidence, CCTV footage and intelligence inputs, is continuing for the remaining accused. Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha had earlier condemned the attack and directed stringent action.