INDIA: BSF officers engaged in murder spree in Murshidabad district, West Bengal 

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from its local partner in India, MASUM about yet another brutal killing by the Border Security Forces (BSF) at the Indo-Bangladesh border. According to the information received Mr. Saifuddin, a farmer was forcefully taken into custody by the BSF officers on 1 June 2006, beaten brutally and later shot at close range with a light machine gun for protesting against the officers engaging and aiding cross-border smuggling. It is also alleged that the BSF later filed a false case against Saifuddin at the Raninagar police station, where Saifuddin was charged with several offences including preventing the BSF officers from discharging their duty.

On 1 June 2006 at about 8 p.m., Saifuddin was going to his paddy fields. On his way he witnessed officers from the BSF helping cross-border smugglers. Saifuddin raised his voice against the officers and the smugglers protesting against the officers and them helping the criminals. Hearing Saifuddin’s protest Mr. Sukhen Kumar Mondal a BSF officer took Saifuddin into custody and started beating him with sticks. It is alleged that there were also other officers of the BSF who joined Mondal in the assault against Saifuddin. The officers pinned Saifuddin to the ground and continued assaulting him. When Saifuddin was unable to move, Mondal shot Saifuddin with a light machine gun killing Saifuddin immediately. It is alleged that the officers were from BSF out-post number three and four of Kaharpara BSF camp, serving with 136-BSF battalion, stationed at the Indo-Bangladesh border in Murshidabad district, West Bengal.

The officers later took Saifuddin’s body to the nearest BSF camp. From the camp they collected four cows, one pair of sandals and a towel and produced them along with the body of Saifuddin at  Raninagar police station. It is alleged that the cows, sandals and the towel were seized from some cross-border smugglers earlier. The officers also lodged a complaint against Saifuddin at the police station alleging offences under Sections 147, 148, 149, 353 and 307 of the Indian Penal Code, which the Raninagar police registered as case number 112/2006.

The AHRC is informed that BSF officers often aid cross-border smugglers activities at the Indo-Bangladesh border and share profits from the illegal trade with them. The most common commodities smuggled from India to Bangladesh are cattle, medicines and food grains. The BSF is posted at the border to prevent this illegal trade. However, the officers connive with the smugglers and help them transit their commodities in the cover of darkness. The BSF also keep a few cattle and other articles commonly smuggled across the border in their camp to produce them once in a while as seized articles from the smugglers for their record. The local farmers like Saifuddin suffer huge damage from this trade since the movement of cattle destroys their crop.

Coming to know about Saifuddin’s death, his wife Mrs. Mursida Bewa filed a written complaint at the Raninagar police station against the BSF officers. It is alleged that even though the complaint was filed on 3 June 2006, the police are yet to take any action on the complaint. Before releasing Saifuddin’s body to his family, an autopsy examination was conducted at Lalbagh Sub-Divisional hospital on June 2. [Postmortem report number 124 of Lalbagh Sub-Divisional hospital dated 2 June 2006]

Other relevant facts:

The AHRC in the recent past has been calling upon the authorities in India, particularly the Commanding officers of the BSF and the West Bengal State Government authorities to intervene in cases of killings reported from the Indo-Bangladesh border. The AHRC has reported many cases in the recent past where similar incidents of murder were reported from West Bengal. For further information please see UA-244-2006, UA-225-2006,  UA-184-2006, UA-174-2006, UA-146-2006, UA-217-2005, UA-79-2005, FA-04-2005 and UA-18-2005. In at least four cases the incident happened within the jurisdiction of Raninagar police station.

MASUM, after their investigation into these cases and also after interviewing local persons, is of the opinion that the police officers posted at Raninagar police station are at fault for not taking any action in any of the cases reported at this police station. The local persons allege that the police officers stationed at Raninagar police station also connive with the criminals engaged in cross-border smuggling and the BSF officers who protect them.

In all of the above cases a consistent pattern of the chain of events could be noted. In each of these cases, the deceased, often a farmer is taken into custody, beaten up and then shot at point blank range by the BSF. The body is later produced at the same police station – the Raninagar police station – and a case registered against the deceased. In most cases the charges are under a few select sections of the Indian Penal Code. The police never initiate any action in these cases.

The AHRC has also observed that in many cases the victims fail to report the case with the police fearing repercussions from the BSF. It is also evident that since the local police are not initiating any action upon the complaints filed by the relatives of the victims, in cases where they dared to lodge complaints, the victims’ families failed to report cases.

Suggested action:

Please write to Mr. Srikumar Mukherjee, The Minister of State, Government of West Bengal and other concerned authorities seeking their intervention. The perpetrators should be punished for their arbitrary actions and the government should take immediate cognisance of the cross-border smuggling and the continuous infiltration of the Indo-Bangladesh border. Despite having brought this to the notice of the authorities many times in the recent past, little seems to have been done in this regard. We hope that this case will once again highlight the urgency of this matter so that many lives can be saved in the future.

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