SC seeks govt's reply on plea for probe into 'killings' by BSF

The Supreme Court on Monday sought the Centre's response on a plea for probe into the alleged torture and extra-judicial killings by the Border Security Force personnel in the border area of West Bengal.

A bench of justices B S Chauhan and Swatanter Kumar asked the government to file its response within three weeks.

The court's order came on an application by Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha, a Kolkata-based NGO, which alleged that there are more than 200 cases of BSF personnel indulging in extra-judicial killings or torture in the border area. Those cases were never probed by the state police, claimed the NGO.

"The present case will show the procedure followed by the West Bengal Police makes a mockery of the rule of law. This petition pertains to the cases of torture or torture followed by extra-judicial executions of more than 200 Indian nationals by the Border Security Force between 2005 and 2011," said senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for the petitioner.

"In over 100 cases, there are eye witnesses to the BSF taking into custody the person concerned and there are eye witnesses to the torture in custody of the person concerned, leading to his death," he further said.

The petition alleged that instead of registering an FIR against the BSF personnel, it is registered against the deceased and the case is closed on that basis.

"As a result, not a single one out of more than 200 cases, set out in this petition, of torture and killings, has been investigated by the police. Thus, the BSF operates above the law, their mechanical explanations as to how death came about is accepted as true in all cases, the statements of the eye witnesses are not recorded since no investigation is done and the case is closed," the petition alleged.