New Delhi, Feb 24: Finding eight of its personnel, who were caught on camera, stripping, kicking and beating a Bangladeshi national along the Indo-Bangla border, as prima facie guilty, the BSF has ordered court martial proceedings against them.
The personnel, according to BSF chief Utthan K Bansal, were found prima facie “guilty” after a court of inquiry was conducted into the incident which took place early last month. The personnel can put up their defence during the court martial.
“The staff court of inquiry has been completed (in the incident). Now, we are ordering a court martial where the record of evidence will be taken. That is the procedure under the BSF Act. After that, the presiding officer will decide the level of punishment,” the BSF Director General told PTI here.
“Prima facie, they have been found guilty. Now the extent of the guilt and what defence they (eight jawans) have to put...all that is part of the court procedure and once we have that, we will further take action. The presiding officer will decide the punishment,” he said.
A mobile phone captured the video that surfaced last month, showing the Border Security Force (BSF) troopers assaulting a 32-year-old Bangladeshi, identified as Abdul Sheikh, a resident of Abasia in Chapainawabganj in Bangladesh.
He was allegedly smuggling cattle across the border when the BSF troops had intercepted him.
The eight personnel belong to the 105th battalion of the border guarding force and the incident took place in its Charmurasi boundary outpost in Murshidabad district.
