Locals block highway in protest over BSF action in Cooch Behar

Cooch Behar: Residents of Bagdokra in Mekhliganj launched a protest against the BSF claiming that they were prevented from retrieving their cows.

They also alleged that they were harassed by the BSF when public representatives demanded that they be allowed to bring back their cows.

Locals staged a protest by blocking the state highway from Mekhliganj to Dhapara which led to traffic jams.

Locals alleged that a married woman had received two cows as a gift during her wedding. However, when she tried to bring them home, the BSF stopped her, and the two cows were confiscated by them.

The Pradhan, Upa Pradhan and other members of the Bagdokra Gram Panchayat promptly reached the Arjun Border outpost of the BSF in Mekhliganj Sub-Division, upon hearing the news.

Despite lengthy discussions with the BSF, the matter remained unresolved. The Panchayat members themselves were subjected to harassment, they alleged. Consequently, villagers, along with local Panchayat members, initiated a roadblock at 9 am on Thursday.

The blockade was eventually lifted after about three hours, following assurances from the BDO (Block Development Officer) and the police to resolve the problem.