BSF inspector suspended over allegations of rape of lady constable

PTI, Feb 21, 2023, 3:09 PM IST

A BSF inspector has been suspended and a departmental probe was initiated against him over allegations of rape of a lady constable at a border outpost in Kishanganj area in West Bengal, a senior official of the force said on Tuesday.

The inspector posted at Tungi border in Nadia district outpost allegedly raped a lady BSF constable inside the premises on February 19, he said.

The incident came to light following a tweet by TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh, who asked the BJP Bengal unit to react to it.

“The incident was reported on that day itself. The inspector was suspended and a departmental probe was initiated against him,” the BSF official said.

The lady constable was sent for a medical examination at a government hospital. She has also lodged an FIR, he said. Ghosh tweeted, “A lady BSF constable has been raped by BSF Commander in Krishnagunj, Nadia Camp. BSF brought the victim to SSKM; then a zero FIR has been lodged in Bhabanipur PS. The Commander is suspended. Now, what will BJP say?” The BJP-led central government amended the BSF Act in 2021 to authorise the force to undertake search, seizure and arrest within a larger 50 km stretch, instead of 15 km, from the international border in Punjab, West Bengal and Assam. It snowballed into a major political issue in Bengal with the ruling TMC passing a resolution in the state assembly opposing the Centre’s decision.

The BSF official when asked declined to divulge further details about the BSF inspector till the departmental probe is over.

“We have zero tolerance towards such allegations,” he asserted.