Rule of law under BSF attack

We conducted a fact finding upon information received that an encounter took place between the BSF and the smugglers on the river Padma near BSF Out-Post no. 04 of 10 point of Border Security Force (BSF) Camp at Khasmahal area, Police Station-Jalangi, District – Murshidabad on 10/12/2009 at about 4.15 am. In the encounter one BSF jawan fired from his rifle and later recovered one body from the place of incident.

The BSF in support of the encounter promptly lodged one criminal case at police station and in the complaint disclosed the identification of the body recovered from the place of incident by BSF. Though the police registered one unnatural death case as ‘Unknown’ against the said body found at the place of incident as the name and other particulars of the body as furnished by BSF in its complaint were not found to be true by police. As a consequence the body after post mortem is still kept at morgue as unclaimed. Though it is revealed during our fact finding that the said body recovered at the place of incident was of a Bangladeshi national named Mr. Sadek Ali Seikh (deceased) son of Mr. Samjan Seikh, aged about 35 years resident of Village - Baroshipara, Post Office- Mirganj, Police Station – Bagha, District- Rajshahi.

Our fact finding also revealed that the injuries found on the body of the victim recovered at the place of incident do not indicate that the firing by BSF was actually necessitated for self defense. The conduct of the police since the incident is not satisfactory and our fact finding revealed that the police acted at the behest of Border Security Force in preparing police records over the incident paving a way for the perpetrator BSF to justify the killing.