New Delhi: A diplomatic row erupted between Delhi and Dhaka after three Bangladeshi nationals, who had crossed the Indian border illegally, were killed in Tripura.
Bangladesh has lodged a protest on the October 15 incident, when the trio was killed by an angry mob on suspicion of being cattle thieves in the border village of Bidyabil, in Tripura’s Khowai district.
“The Government of Bangladesh strongly protests and condemns the brutal beating and killing of three Bangladeshi citizens by a mob in Tripura, India, on 15 October 2025. This heinous act is an unacceptable and grave violation of human rights and the rule of law. The Government of Bangladesh expresses its serious concern over this deplorable incident and calls upon the Government of India to conduct an immediate, impartial and transparent investigation into the incident and take sincere efforts to stop the recurrence of such inhumane acts,” said a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh.
“The perpetrators must be identified and brought to justice. The Government of Bangladesh underscores that all individuals, irrespective of their nationality, are entitled to the full protection of their human rights, regardless of which side of the border they may inadvertently find themselves in,” the statement further said.
India dismissed Bangladesh’s narrative.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that the incident occurred three kilometres inside Indian territory, where the illegal immigrants attempted to steal cattle from Bidyabil village. When confronted by locals, they attacked with sharp weapons, prompting the locals to defend themselves.
“They attacked and injured local villagers with iron dahs and knives, and killed one villager, even as other villagers arrived and resisted the attackers. Authorities rushed to the spot, where two smugglers were found dead.. a third succumbed to his injuries in hospital the following day,” MEA spokesperson Randheer Jaiswal said.
According to locals, the violent incident was triggered when two villagers, working at a rubber plantation close to the India-Bangladesh border, spotted three suspicious individuals moving towards the international border with cattle from the area. On confronting the suspected thieves, the villagers were allegedly attacked with sharp local weapons.
Once the injured duo informed others about the incident, angry locals confronted the suspected Bangladeshi thieves and allegedly thrashed them to death.
Border Security Force (BSF) personnel and local police, led by Superintendent of Police Ranaditya Da, visited the spot and conducted a preliminary probe.
All three bodies have been handed over to Bangladeshi authorities.
“This incident underscores the need for Bangladesh to undertake necessary measures to uphold the sanctity of the International Boundary and support the construction of fencing where needed to prevent cross-border crimes and smuggling,” MEA said.
Most parts of the 856km-long border, which Tripura shares with Bangladesh, are fenced. However, cross-border crimes like cattle smuggling and illegal infiltration are quite common.