A Bangladeshi national was gunned down by the BSF which was attacked by a gang of alleged cattle smugglers on the international border on Friday early morning.

The deceased Mohammad Anwar, 35, was a resident of 10 Mile Bhajanpur village under the jurisdiction of Tentulia police station in Panchagarh district.

BSF sources said a group of 20 to 25 alleged Bangladeshi smugglers had entered India under the cover of dense fog to smuggle cattle from Singhpara village in Jalpaiguri Sadar block into the neighbouring nation.

A BSF team posted at the Chanakya border outpost challenged the Bangladeshis but instead of retreating, the gang attacked the security personnel with sticks. The Sadhan Sauri, the BSF jawan, was injured, prompting others to toss a stun grenade and open fire with pump action guns.

“The smugglers, however, surrounded the BSF personnel and fired at them. This made the BSF fire in self-defence. Later, the body of Anwar was found near the international border,” said a source.

Singhpara, located on the India-Bangladesh border, has no fences. “The Bangladeshi smugglers were taking advantage of the porous border,” said the source.