BSF constable shot dead by colleague during quarrel in Bengal’s Murshidabad

Accused, Shivam Kumar Mishra from Chhattisgarh, fired 13 rounds from his service rifle. Several of the bullets hit Ratan Lal Singh in the abdominal area: Police

Berhampore: A 55-year-old border security force (BSF) constable was shot dead by a 29-year-old colleague during a quarrel late on Saturday night at Samserganj in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district. The accused was taken into custody, police said.

Ratan Lal Singh, a resident of Rajasthan, was declared dead on arrival at the Jangipur sub-divisional hospital (Representative photo)

The deceased, identified as Ratan Lal Singh, was a resident of Rajasthan. He was declared dead on arrival at the Jangipur sub-divisional hospital, where he was shifted after doctors at a local hospital failed to stop the bleeding.

The police said that the accused, Shivam Kumar Mishra from Chhattisgarh, fired 13 rounds from his service rifle. Several of the bullets hit Singh in the abdominal area.

The BSF informed the police, and Mishra was taken into custody by the Samserganj police station in the early hours of Sunday. “The accused and the deceased were on duty when the incident happened. Other information will be provided by the Samserganj police station,” BSF’s South Bengal Frontier spokesperson N. K. Pandey said, refusing to comment on the incident any further.

The police said that Mishra, who joined the BSF four years ago, used to report to Singh. “BSF personnel from the 119th battalion were patrolling the Paharghati area. Investigation shows that Singh and Mishra had a quarrel over the latter being refused leave to visit his pregnant wife. Mishra flicked the burst mode lever of his rifle and opened fire,” an officer from the Jangipur police division said.

Based on a complaint lodged by the BSF authorities against Mishra, an FIR was registered under charges of murder of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). “Mishra was produced before the Jangipur court on Sunday and remanded in judicial custody,” the officer said.

Samserganj is one of the areas under the Jangipur police division where violence broke out in April during protests against the newly enforced Waqf (Amendment) Act. Central paramilitary forces, including the BSF’s 119th battalion, who were deployed after three people were killed in the violence, are still patrolling various parts of Jangipur under orders from the Calcutta high court.