An 18-year-old man was allegedly shot dead by the Border Security Force (BSF) in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district on suspicion of being involved in cattle smuggling.
The incident occurred at Balarbhut in Toofangunj subdivision late on Sunday night. Angry villagers held a blockade and prevented the police from recovering the body of Sahinur Haque, who died of bullet injuries. The villagers attacked an ambulance and demanded an impartial probe. The blockade was lifted after the police intervened. The villagers said the youth had nothing to do with cattle smuggling and the incident occurred far from the international border.
‘Acted in self-defence’
BSF officials said their personnel opened fire in self-defence. “A herd of about 50 cattle was seized from smugglers. When the personnel were returning to the border outpost with the cattle, they were attacked,” a BSF official said.
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