Kolkata: Another person arrested for criminal activities including alleged illegal possession of firearms and drug smuggling, another ‘criminal’ shot dead by police in West Bengal.
The deceased, identified as Ratan Sheikh, was accused of shooting police constable Biswajit Das during a raid near Shantiniketan on Friday evening after the former was granted bail.
On Sunday, Sheikh was killed in an exchange of fire with police in Birbhum district, hours after his arrest.
Sheikh is the fifth ‘criminal’ to be killed in police encounter in West Bengal since the BJP came to power in May. Of the four men who were shot dead earlier, three were accused in rape and murder of minor girls, and one was the prime suspect in the murder of a BJP worker.
According to police sources, Sunday’s encounter took place at a brick kiln in Charkol village in Nanoor, where Sheikh allegedly opened fire at the police team again. The cops retaliated, shooting him on the spot. He was taken to Nanoor health centre, where doctors declared him dead.
Two days ago, constable Das sustained a bullet injury to his left leg when he was shot by Sheikh during the raid. He was initially admitted to Burdwan Medical College Hospital before being shifted to SSKM Hospital in Kolkata.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari visited him on Saturday, assuring that action would be taken against the accused under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
“Police also have the right to live like others. Rifles, revolvers and bullets are given to police not merely to carry these arms in their pockets. These arms will be used at the right moment,” Suvendu said after meeting the injured constable.
Following Sunday’s encounter, the Bengal CM said, “Rapists and murderers have no place in Bengal. Will the police feed them sweets if they shoot at them (police)?”