Midnight border breach: Bangladesh police, armed men attack Meghalaya village, BSF on alert

Shillong, Aug 9: In a midnight border security breach, suspected Bangladesh police and criminals allegedly attacked  villagers after illegally entering Indian territory in Meghalaya’s South West Khasi Hills district.

According to South West Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police (SP), Banraplang Jyrwa, the incident occurred during the intervening night of Friday.

"Eight to nine Bangladesh nationals entered Rongdongai village, fired at the villagers and assaulted another," Jyrwa informed The Assam Tribune.

One of the villagers was stabbed after he intercepted the Bangladesh nationals. All the suspected accused after the assault fled from the scene and disappeared leaving several items in haste, said the SP.

“We have recovered an ID of a Bangladesh police constable at the site of the incident and several other items. There is a massive search operation being conducted by the BSF together with the state police,” Jyrwa informed.

Later, the police recovered several items including handcuffs, a magazine cover, a pistol holster, radio sets, mobile phones, face masks, an axe, a wire cutter, Bangladesh currency, and other objects.

Rongdongai is a remote village located about 8–10 km from the Bangladesh border, under Nongjri–Nonghyllam in the district.

Large stretches of the border remain unfenced due to difficult terrain such as water bodies, forests, and hills.

Police suspect the intruders may have crossed through these porous areas by swimming or using culverts.

In a separate incident on August 7, eight suspected Bangladesh nationals entered a stone quarry in Bagli, also in the same district, around 1 am.

Police launched a search operation after receiving information, but the suspects managed to escape.

These repeated incidents have raised serious concerns over BSF’s vigilance in guarding remote stretches of the border.

Recently, there were reports that Bangladesh nationals entered Indian territory and stole coal in the same district.

Meanwhile, BSF sources confirmed that one suspected Bangladesh national has been detained and is being interrogated.