3 Bangladeshis killed in Tripura were ‘smugglers’: Randhir Jaiswal

India has issued a counterstatement in response to Bangladesh’s protest over the lynching of three Bangladeshi nationals in Tripura.

On Wednesday, October 15, three Bangladeshis were beaten to death by a mob near the India–Bangladesh border in Tripura. Following the incident, Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Thursday, calling the killings “a heinous act that cannot be accepted” and “a violation of human rights and the rule of law.”

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Friday, Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal described the three Bangladeshis as “smugglers.”

He said, “The incident in Tripura on October 15 involved three Bangladeshi traffickers who were killed after crossing the international border from Bangladesh and attempting to steal cattle in the village of Vidyabil.”

According to Jaiswal, “During the smuggling attempt, they attacked local villagers with iron rods and knives, injuring several people and killing one villager. The locals then resisted.”

He added that when officials reached the scene, two of the smugglers were already dead and the third died the following day in hospital. A police case has been filed over the incident, and the bodies of the three deceased have been handed over to the Bangladeshi side.