'They Hit Me With Rods': Assam Farmer Recalls Torture In Bangladesh, Thanks CM Sarma For Safe Return

Published 17 June 2026 · india

'They Hit Me With Rods': Assam Farmer Recalls Torture In Bangladesh, Thanks CM Sarma For Safe Return Reported By, Edited By Last Updated: June 17

'They Hit Me With Rods': Assam Farmer Recalls Torture In Bangladesh, Thanks CM Sarma For Safe Return Reported By, Edited By Last Updated: June 17, 2026, 10:44 IST Ranjit Das returned with visible injuries and a bandaged head after being handed over to Indian authorities by the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB). Rapid Read Assam farmer returns home after being abducted in Bangladesh. (Image: News18) An Assam farmer who was abducted and assaulted after being taken across the India-Bangladesh border while working on Indian territory beyond the border fence has safely returned home. He thanked Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the Border Security Force (BSF), and Indian authorities for ensuring his return. Ranjit Das, a resident of Narsinghpur village in the Rajtila area under the Katigorah Assembly constituency of Cachar district, had gone to collect grass for his cattle on Tuesday morning from agricultural land located in India’s advance border area beyond the border fence. In several sectors along the India-Bangladesh border, the fence has been constructed some distance inside Indian territory due to geographical and operational considerations. As a result, large stretches of Indian agricultural land remain between the international boundary and the fence.

Local residents access these lands through BSF-regulated gates after verifying their identity and depositing their identification cards. Recalling the incident after his return, Das said he had followed the standard procedure before entering the area. “Our gate opens at 7 am. I showed my identity card and deposited it at the gate before going to cut grass for my cattle. After I had collected a good amount of grass, they called out to me. There were seven of them. They caught me and told me that I had to go with them to Bangladesh," he said. According to Das, the group assaulted him after taking him across the border. “They hit me on the head with rods. They said one of their brothers had recently gone missing and that they wanted information from our BSF about his whereabouts. They made me sit and wait," he recalled. Das returned with visible injuries and a bandaged head after being handed over to Indian authorities by the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) at around 10 pm on Tuesday, following coordination between security agencies on both sides of the border. His son, Sujit Das, described the frantic efforts made by the family after learning about the abduction.

“It was around 11 am when villagers came and informed me that my father had been taken away by six or seven Bangladeshi men. I immediately went and informed the officer at the BOP. The BSF team took me into the border area to search for my father," Sujit said. Emphasising that his father had not crossed into Bangladesh voluntarily, Sujit added: “My father frequently goes to the Indian land across the gate to cut grass and do farming. It’s Indian land on the other side of the gate." His disappearance had sparked concern and tension across the Katigorah border region, with family members and local residents alleging that he had been forcibly taken from Indian territory. Officials later confirmed that Das had been working in the “Zero Point" or advance area, which lies beyond the border fence but remains sovereign Indian territory. The incident has once again highlighted the unique challenges faced by residents living along the India-Bangladesh border, where farmers and villagers routinely access Indian land beyond the fencing through designated BSF gates for cultivation, grazing, and other livelihood activities. Following his return, Das expressed gratitude to the BSF, the Assam government, and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for acting swiftly to secure his release and return.