Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Agartala: Tripura Police have arrested three more individuals in connection with the November 2 attack on Border Security Force personnel in Ashabari. The sweep includes the prime accused woman, her son Rabiul Hossain, and another suspect named Mahabul Hossain. The arrests follow a violent clash that erupted near the Ashabari Gram Panchayat under the 49th Battalion's area of operations.
Superintendent of Police Bijoy Debbarma stated that video evidence links the suspects directly to the violence. Rabiul Hossain allegedly snatched a service rifle from a trooper, while Mahabul Hossain was filmed assaulting security forces. The woman suspect is currently remanded to police custody until November 13. The other two men will face court on November 8 as police move to secure further questioning.
The conflict started after a BSF jawan allegedly hit a local resident, Hefzur Rahman, with a lathi during a smuggling dispute. Villagers blocked the Boxanagar-Rahimpur road in response. Assistant Commandant Rohit Kumar arrived with reinforcements, but the crowd turned on him. His vehicle was vandalized during the chaos. Kumar and three others suffered injuries, requiring treatment at the Boxanagar Primary Health Centre.
A court has also extended the remand for seven other suspects for another week. Police continue searching for those still on the run. The SP noted, "All those involved in the attack would be brought to justice." Joint patrols involving the Tripura Police, BSF, and CRPF are currently scouring the area. Officials claim the situation in Ashabari remains under control.
Updated at 8th November 2026 at 3:15pm
Sepahijala Superintendent of Police Bijoy Debbarma pointed to a wider war on illegal trade as the motive behind the assault. Over the past year, joint teams of police, Tripura State Rifles, and the BSF have wiped out 1.5 crore ganja plants in the Sonamura subdivision, costing smuggling syndicates an estimated Rs 1,000 crore. Security forces also seized smuggled goods worth several crores during the same stretch.
The crackdown has hit smuggling rings hard, sparking retaliation. The district shares 99 kilometers of boundary with Bangladesh. While almost all of it is fenced, about 300 families remain stuck on the wrong side of the wire. Because international agreements ban permanent structures within 150 yards of the border, these families end up living outside the security perimeter, creating gaps that traffickers exploit to move cattle, contraband, and other goods.
Police have now hauled in 21 people in connection with the attack.
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