3, including two B'deshi cattle smugglers, killed in BSF firing

Kolkata: Three persons, including two suspected Bangladeshi cattle smugglers, were killed in firing by the Border Security Force (BSF) in Cooch Behar district near the Indo-Bangla border on early Friday morning. Though the local authorities claimed that three bodies have been recovered from the site at Sitai, a BSF statement stated that the bodies of two unknown miscreants were recovered from the spot.

According to police sources, the suspected cattle smugglers clashed with BSF at Satbhandari village in Sitai around 2 am. "We have found three bodies and as per preliminary investigation, all of them died in the course of the same incident," a senior district police officer said adding that one of the deceased was an Indian national.

The body of the Indian national, identified as Prakash Barman (35) of Cooch Behar, was found at village West Chamt (Indian side of the border).

Trinamool Congress' Dinhata MLA Udayan Guha lambasted the BSF over the incident. "BSF has been unleashing atrocities in the border areas for a long time. They continue to torture people who stay in these areas. The BSF cannot kill anyone under any circumstance. It is the duty of the Centre to control the BSF, otherwise, terrible things will happen at any time post such incidents." Guha accused the BSF officials of helping cattle smugglers.

State Parliamentary Affairs minister Partha Chatterjee said that the state government will table a resolution in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday over revoking the expansion of the BSF jurisdiction from 15 km to 50 km inside the international border by the Home ministry.

TMC Lok Sabha MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay said they will be vocal in demand of revoking the border expansion when the Parliament session begins.

According to the BSF, at 2:30 am, miscreants from the Bangladesh side ventured into the Indian territory and tried to smuggle cattle by establishing improvised bamboo cantilevers at two places. Though the troop warned them to go back, they did not obey. "BSF troops utilised non-lethal ammunition to deter the miscreants, but they attacked the BSF troop with iron dah and sticks causing injuries," read a BSF statement.

"Sensing a threat to their lives, the BSF troop fired in the air towards the suspected smugglers. "Later on during search, dead bodies of two unknown miscreants were found between the border fence and international boundary. One BSF person also got injured during the incident," read the BSF statement.

Incidentally, the development happened when Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla was in Kolkata and held a meeting with the Bengal Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, DGP and other senior state officials.