New Delhi: After Bangladesh condemned the killing of 3 nationals in India’s Tripura, the MEA issued a statement calling them smugglers who were ‘stealing cattle’.
The incident took place Wednesday, when 3 men of Bangladeshi origin were beaten to death by residents of Bidyabil, a border village in Tripura’s Khowai district.
In a statement issued Friday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the incident occurred about 3 km inside Indian territory.
“A group of three miscreants from Bangladesh crossed the international border and attempted to steal cattle from Bidyabil village,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. “They attacked and injured local villagers with iron dahs (local version of cleaver) and knives and killed one villager, even as others arrived and resisted the attackers.”
Jaiswal added that the bodies of the three men had been handed over to Bangladeshi authorities and that a police investigation was underway. “This 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,” the MEA said.
Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Friday called upon the Government of India to “conduct an immediate, impartial and transparent investigation and to take sincere efforts to prevent the recurrence of such inhumane acts”.
Dhaka also demanded that “the perpetrators must be identified and brought to justice”.
#Bangladesh strongly condemns and protests the horrific mob attack in #Tripura, #India that brutally assaulted and killed three Bangladeshi citizens. Those responsible must be brought to justice.#Justice #HumanRights #CondemnViolence pic.twitter.com/uNLSmyGfof
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs (@BDMOFA) October 17, 2025
According to local accounts, however, the confrontation began when the three men crossed the international border from Bangladesh into Indian territory. Residents alleged that the men, whom they suspected to be cattle thieves, were spotted near a rubber plantation along the frontier and, when confronted, attacked two villagers with sharp-edged weapons. The injured locals then alerted others, prompting a violent clash that left all three Bangladeshis dead.
Tripura shares an 856 km border with Bangladesh, much of it fenced. Yet, officials on both sides acknowledge that cross-border crimes such as cattle smuggling and illegal crossings remain persistent challenges.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)