Theft at BSF camp in Malda

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Aug 16: Forty rounds of cartridge and official documents went missing from a Border Security Force outpost at Kumarpur under the English Bazaar police station on 14 August night. The missing articles were recovered from a mango orchard on 15 August but not before the BSF had raided several villages and forced a cleric to use a public address system to appeal for the return of the stolen articles. BSF officials are tightlipped on the matter. The Malda superintendent of police, Mr DK Mondal, said that he had not received any complaint either from the BSF or the public about the incident. The SP, however, visited the spot after receiving information from several quarters. The BSF crackdown in search of the missing articles came on the dawn of Independence Day. BSF jawans raided the Kumarpur, Gobindopur and Moslempur villages under the English Bazaar police station and picked up at least 20 villagers for questioning.The detained were, however, released following the recovery of the stolen articles. Residents of the three villages alleged that aggressive BSF jawans entered the houses breaking down doors and windows in search of the missing bullets and documents assaulting men ad women alike.“Many male members of several families had to flee their houses during the raid,” they alleged. The villagers have criticised the BSF “highhandedness” and urged the authorities concerned to look into the matter.According to a panchayat member Mr Jabbar Sheikh, the situation cooled down after the BSF officials forced the cleric of a local mosque to make an announcement over the public address system for the return of the stolen articles following which, the stolen articles were found in a mango orchard.“The incident has been reported to the local MLA and Congress leader Mr Krishnendu Choudhury,” he added. The police have not been able to take any steps in the matter for want of a complaint from either side. “Neither the villagers nor the BSF have lodged any complaint,” said the Malda SP, Mr DK Mondal.