Two persons die in ‘BSF firing’ in Cooch Behar

Police say a group of suspected smugglers from Bangladesh had reportedly crossed the fence around 3.30am on Thursday

TT   |   Cooch Behar   |   16.12.22  : Two persons have died in two separate incidents of alleged firing by the Border Security Force at different locations of Cooch Behar district in the span of 24 hours.

One of the deceased has been identified as an Indian resident.

The other is yet to be identified.

On Wednesday morning, a person was found dead with bullet injuries beyond the barbed fences of the India-Bangladesh border

Police sources said that the BSF informed them that a constable of the security force had reportedly fired a gunshot early in the morning when a group of goons apparently attacked him.

The deceased was later identified as Mostapha Mian, 38, a resident of Purba Masjid Para, which is under Jamaldaha panchayat of Mekhliganj police station in Cooch Behar.

The BSF also filed a complaint with the police, saying that around 4.30am on Wednesday, when the BSF constable was on duty, four-five goons with sharp weapons and bamboo sticks started pelting stones at him from the Bangladesh side.

With no other option, the constable fired a round from his rifle. The goons fled.

Around 10am on Wednesday, the BSF found the body lying some 100 metres from the fencing, with a suspected bullet injury.  

Sources said that Mostapha had cases pending against him at Mekhliganj police station.

In another incident, the body of a so-far unidentified person was found at the India-Bangla border in Mathabhanga sub-division of the district on Thursday morning.

Police officials, who visited the spot, said that around 3.30am on Thursday, a group of suspected smugglers from Bangladesh had reportedly crossed the fence.

When some on-duty BSF personnel challenged the trespassers, the latter pelted stones at them. 

This prompted the BSF to fire three rounds.

Later on Thursday morning, a body was found near the fence.

The police, which recovered the body, also found two Bangladeshi SIM cards from the cell phone presumably of the deceased. However, no smuggled items were found on the spot, police sources said.

Investigations are on to determine the identity of the deceased.

Courtesy & source- The Telegraph