The murder of three Bangladeshi nationals on suspicion of being cattle smugglers in Tripura is snowballing into a major diplomatic row between India and Bangladesh.
The trio were killed on Wednesday during a clash between the locals and alleged cattle smugglers in a border village in Khowai district.
The villagers noticed a group of suspected Bangladeshi cattle smugglers moving around close to the India-Bangladesh border.
"On being challenged, they attacked the villagers with lethal weapons and two locals were seriously injured. As the news spread, a large group of villagers chased the cattle lifters, caught and assaulted them while others managed to flee," Officer-in-charge of Champahower police station, Dilip Debbarma, told news agency PTI.
Bangladesh "Strongly protested" the incident and said, "This heinous act is an unacceptable and grave violation of human rights and the rule of law."
Expressing serious concern over the incident, Bangladesh urged India to conduct an immediate, impartial and transparent investigation into the incident.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal responded to concerns and demands raised by Bangladesh, saying the Indian side has taken note of the incident.
However, MEA appears to acknowledge the claim that the Bangladeshi nationals were "cattle smugglers" and "miscreants" and said, "We have noted that an incident in Tripura leading to the death of three Bangladesh smugglers took place on October 15, about 3 kms inside Indian territory."
Our response to media queries on an incident involving Bangladesh nationals in Tripura⬇️
🔗 https://t.co/NSIrUFTFnx pic.twitter.com/Av1YygnvGY
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) October 17, 2025
"A group of three miscreants from Bangladesh crossed the international border and attempted to steal cattle from Bidyabil village in Indian territory. They attacked and injured local villagers with iron dahs and knives, and killed one villager, even as other villagers arrived and resisted the attackers."
The MEA further said the incident underscores the need for Bangladesh to uphold the sanctity of the international boundary and to support fencing where needed to prevent cross-border crimes and smuggling. |
