Police kill man in Birbhum encounter hours after his arrest
Ratan Sheikh is the fifth person killed in a police encounter in West Bengal since the BJP took power in May.
Ratan Sheikh was shot dead by police in Birbhum district on Sunday afternoon during a confrontation at a brick kiln in Charkol village, according to reports from Odisha Bytes and The New Indian Express. The incident occurred hours after Sheikh was arrested in Nababhat, Purba Bardhaman.
Police sources stated that Sheikh, who allegedly had a history of 36 criminal cases including drug smuggling and illegal firearm possession, opened fire at the police team. Officers returned fire in self-defence, hitting Sheikh, who was later declared dead at the Nanoor health centre.
Sheikh was accused of shooting Constable Biswajit Das in the leg during a raid at Laikbazar in Shantiniketan on Friday evening. Das was moved from Burdwan Medical College Hospital to SSKM Hospital in Kolkata for treatment.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari visited the injured constable on Saturday and said that police have the right to live and will use their arms at the right moment. Reacting to the Sunday encounter, the Chief Minister said that rapists and murderers have no place in Bengal.
This marks the fifth encounter death in the state in six months since the BJP government took power in May. Of the previous four deaths, three involved individuals accused of the rape and murder of minor girls, while one was a suspect in the murder of a BJP worker.