Bengal to probe teen's death in BSF firing in Cooch Behar

Jalpaiguri: The West Bengal government has started a separate probe into the death of a teenager in BSF firing in Cooch Behar on Sunday.

On Friday, minister Rabindranath Ghosh claimed the victim, Sahinur Haque, was a migrant worker who had returned home recently amid the Covid pandemic. Rejecting allegations, BSF claimed the youth was involved in cattle smuggling.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has ordered a probe in the matter, Ghosh said.

Rina Mitra, principal adviser, state directorate of security, Cooch Behar SP Santosh Nimhalkar Uttam Rao and Ghosh visited Uttar Balabhut area, the incident site, in Tufanganj on Friday. They went to Haque’s home and spoke to family members.

According to Ghosh, Haque (19) worked as a migrant labourer in Delhi. “At his house, he worked as a taanti (weaver) along with family members. He had no connection whatsoever with any cattle smuggling racket,” he said.

Ghosh, who is Trinamool MLA from Natabari, alleged Haque was returning home from a nearby wetland when BSF jawans intercepted him and shot him on Sunday evening. He, however, could not cite a reason for the killing.

BSF claimed the teenager was with some smugglers trying to smuggle around 50 cattle on the Bangladesh side. When chased, they fled only to return with other smugglers and lead an attack on BSF jawans. “Our men were outnumbered and hence fired in the air to disperse the mob. When that failed to scatter the mob, they opened fire in which Sahinur Haque was killed. There is no question of atrocity or target-killing as our men hardly knew Haque. They just did their duty,” a senior BSF official said.