2 BSF troops killed in fratricidal incident at Tripura border post

New Delhi/Agartala, September 24

Two Border Security Force (BSF) personnel were killed and their senior officer was injured in a fratricidal shootout at a post near the Bangladesh international border in Tripura, officials said on Friday.

The incident took place on Thursday evening near the border fence gate at Khagracheri post of the force in Karbook sub-division of Gomati district.

Head constable Satbir Singh and constable Pratap Singh, belonging to the 20th battalion, were killed in the “fratricidal cross firing” following a minor altercation, said a BSF spokesperson for its Tripura frontier, headquartered in Salbagan, Agartala.

A senior official said Pratap Singh allegedly shot at Satbir Singh, who died on the spot.

Pratap Singh was later killed by a sentry deployed at the post, he said.

The post commander, Sub Inspector Ram Kumar, suffered bullet injuries on both his legs as constable Pratap Singh fired at him too, he said.

“A departmental inquiry is being conducted to find out the cause of the incident and an FIR has been lodged at Silacheri police station,” the spokesperson said.

The BSF guards the India-Bangladesh border.

Out of the total 4,096 km of the international border, Tripura shares 856 km of the front. PTI