Bengal police kill Ratan Sheikh in Birbhum encounter; CM Suvendu Adhikari warns criminals to leave state

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday warned criminals and people possessing illegal firearms to leave the state after police shot dead Ratan Sheikh, the prime accused in the firing incident involving a police constable in Birbhum district.

Sheikh was killed in an encounter in Nanoor, days after he allegedly opened fire at a police team attempting to arrest him in connection with a case in Santiniketan. He was facing 36 criminal cases, according to police.

Speaking to ANI, Adhikari said Sheikh had fired at the police and that personnel had responded as required.

“He shot at the police, and the police did what needed to be done on the spot. It would not be appropriate for me to comment on this. There is no place for goons and rapists in West Bengal. Even now, whatever remaining goons and those with illegal arms are left, flee from here; leave immediately. There is no place for them here,” the Chief Minister said.

Ministers defend police action

West Bengal Minister Agnimitra Paul backed the police action, saying the government would not tolerate attacks on law enforcement personnel or attempts to disrupt public order. She described the matter as a law and order issue and said the police were best placed to explain the circumstances of the encounter.

“The chief minister has said that he was a dreaded criminal with 36 cases. I am sure he had shot at our police forces, like he had shot two days back at a police person who is still in the hospital fighting for his life. So if a criminal attacks our police, police will not keep quiet,” Paul told reporters.

She added that the government’s message was clear: “Any rapist, any rioter, anybody who plays with the lives of the people of Bengal will not be spared. Whichever party you are, whichever religion you belong to, if you play with law and order, you will not be spared in this government.”

Minister Umesh Rai also defended the police, saying the government had adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards rape and hooliganism. He said anti-social elements who had earlier shown no fear of the police would now have to answer to law enforcement agencies.

“West Bengal is changing. Earlier, we saw the police coming out into the field to protect rapists, and thousands of people being incited and sent to hospitals to destroy evidence. That government is no longer in power,” Rai said.

“If anyone opens fire on the police, the police will not shower flower petals on them; they will do what needs to be done. Anti-social elements who didn’t fear the police will now have to fear them,” he added.

Minister Sharadwat Mukherjee described the firing as an act of self-defence, saying the police had acted to maintain peace and order.

“Police has got a weapon. That’s for self-defence and for upkeep of peace; the police have done the right job. It’s a strong executive, strong administration. Don’t play with Bengal police. Don’t expect that the Bengal police will be sitting idle,” he said, adding that the personnel deserved appreciation for their action.

How the encounter unfolded

According to police, Sheikh had returned to the area last Friday after securing bail in a robbery case. He later went to a bus stand to meet another alleged miscreant.

On Friday evening, three police personnel went to the banyan tree area near Layek Bazar in Bolpur to apprehend him. Sheikh allegedly opened fire when he spotted the team, hitting Constable Biswajit Das in the left leg. He fled after the shooting.

A police officer quoted by Hindustan Times said Sheikh was traced on Sunday during a manhunt ordered by Adhikari. Police interrogated him to find the pistol allegedly used in Friday’s attack. Sheikh then led the team to Nanoor, where the weapon had reportedly been kept near a bridge.

He allegedly opened fire again, with bullets hitting a police vehicle. The police team returned fire in self-defence, and Sheikh was hit, the officer said. He was taken to Bolpur subdivisional hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

Adhikari had visited the injured constable at Bardhaman Medical College and Hospital after Friday’s incident. Doctors said Das was stable, although Paul said he was still in hospital and fighting for his life.

The encounter is the fifth such incident in West Bengal since the BJP came to power in May. According to media reports, three of the four men killed in earlier encounters were accused in the rape and murder of minor girls, while the fourth was the prime suspect in the killing of a BJP worker.