Sitalkuchi firing case: Six CISF jawans seek 7-day extension to appear before West Bengal CID

The CISF personnel had said that they had to fire in self-defence as a mob of around 500 people gathered at the site following some rumours.

Six Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel who were asked to appear before the West Bengal CID have sought a 7-day extension in the case related to the Sitalkuchi firing case. The West Bengal CID had asked them to appear before it on August 9 and 10.

At least four people were killed in an alleged firing by the central forces in the Sitalkuchi area during the fourth phase of the West Bengal polls in April this year. The state CID had summoned six CISF personnel who were on duty at booth number 126 in Jorpatki of the Sitalkuchi constituency where the incident took place.

The CISF personnel had said that they had to fire in self-defence as a mob of around 500 people gathered at the site following some rumours.

While the TMC had claimed that the deceased belonged to the ruling party, the kins had denied any political association.

The CID team had quizzed suspended IPS officer and former Cooch Behar Superintendent of Police Debasish Dhar in June for about five hours. Dhar was suspended after the Mamata Banerjee government returned to power for the third straight term in May. According to reports, the CID posed 72 questions to him related to the incident and the actions taken by him on the day.

The post-mortem report had revealed that bullets were fired from back at a medium-range distance of 14 metres. All four victims had bullet injuries on their upper body parts.