Mamata to ask Centre to rein in ‘trigger-happy’ BSF
RAJIB CHATTERJEE
Posted: Jan 18, 2013 at 0256 hrs IST
Kolkata At a time when tension is mounting up along the country’s western front following brutal killings of two Indian soldiers by Pakistan Army, a controversy looks set to brew up over alleged killing of civilians by the BSF on the country’s eastern front.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, according to Trinamool sources, will write to the Centre to protest against what the party says “rampant killing of people by Border Security Force (BSF) jawans in West Bengal’s border districts which causes social instability and law and order trouble”.
The move, however, is being seen as an attempt by the Trinamool government to counter the campaign by the Congress and the CPM that police have become trigger happy during Trinamool rule. Trinamool sources pointed out that by sending letter to the Centre. Mamata will hit back at the Congress for failing to restrain the BSF on the country’s eastern front.
“She (Mamata) has expressed displeasure over BSF’s firing which killed many people recently. I will not comment on when the letter will be sent because it is the subject matter of the state government. But it is fact that the Chief Minister is much disturbed over the killing of people by BSF jawans in villages bordering West Bengal and Bangladesh,” Trinamool general secretary Mukul Roy told The Indian Express over phone.
Political observers feel that Mamata’s move is aimed at countering the campaign of the CPM and Congress which slammed the state government for failing to restrain police from using fire arms on common people. In the 18 months of her rule, at least six incidents of police firing have occurred in West Bengal that killed five persons and injuring many. The last police firing took place at Tehatta which claimed life of one. The Tehatta police firing triggered a outrage following which the opposition parties launched a scathing attack against the Mamata Banerjee government accusing it of making the police force trigger happy.
A senior Trinamool leader said five people were killed in the BSF firing in Cooch Behar district, while four lost their lives in the firing in North 24-Parganas in the last six months. “During the same period two persons were killed in BSF firing in Malda, three in North Dinajpur and two in South Dinajpur districts. While some of those killed in the BSF are Indians, some others are Bangladesh nationals and a few are yet to be identified,” the Trinamool leader said.
Additional Director General of BSF, Bangshidhar Sharma, however, denied allegations that Indian citizens were killed in the firing in the border areas. “BSF fire on smugglers and not on common people. The jawans used arms when they come under attack. The fire is opened as a last resort. More than 200 BSF men were injured in the attack by smugglers in the past. No one speaks when BSF jawans get assaulted,” said Sharma.
In May 2010, India and Bangladesh signed Joint Records of Discussion at Delhi to ensure than no innocent life is lost at the border due to border guards action. During the discussion, the top officials of border guard forces expressed concern over loss of human lifes of common people at borders and agreed to take action to stop it.
Human Rights Organisation, Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), which works against alleged BSF atrocities, complained that despite lodging complaints to state and central authorities as well as state and National Human Rights Commission, no action is taken against the BSF in most of the cases.
“Along the border more than 1,100 people, majority of whom are Indian, have been killed in past one decade. What we have observed that there is a close nexus between police, administration, customs and the BSF in the bordering districts. The victims of BSF torture never get treatment in police stations. Their complaints are not registered at police stations. Even if a torture victim manages to get his complaint recorded, probe does not progress,” said Kirity Roy of MASUM.
“After being described as smugglers, innocent people are tortured and even killed by BSF. There is no denial that a section of people are involved in cross border smuggling, but killing is not a solution to this problem and no law on india permits to kill a smuggler,” Roy added.
Mamata to ask Centre to rein in trigger-happy BSF - Express India
