Raiganj: Exposed to the gunfire from firing range of the BSF anytime of the day, the people of Gobindapur, a remote village of North Dinajpur district in West Bengal, which stands tucked 4 kms away from district headquarters Raiganj, run the risk of being not only inured but also killed.
They said frequent sound of bullets is scaring them. Some villagers suffered injuries after bullets fired from the force's training ground hit them. It did not take life, but injuries are enough to make them afraid. This has become a regular occurrence in the village. Thanks to a BSF camp with a firing range, which is barely lies at a distance of 500 metres from the village. The BSF conducts training sessions in this zone without prior announcement, villagers said.
They are perturbed by the fact but there's no escape from it. The villagers said the problem is not new, but is alarming. "This is a long-standing problem. Firing takes place now and then at the BSF firing range and sometimes the fired bullets reach the porticos of villagers, and occasionally they hit people who suffer grievous injuries," a villager said.
He recalled the day when bullets flew in front of the market. several people were injured in this incident earlier. "The injured people were treated by the BSF but there is no permanent solution to the problem," he pointed out. Villagers are all but scared to stay in the village but hardly have an option.
"At times, we are not afraid of moving out. We are feeling insecure," another villager said. Villagers said that the matter was reported to the police administration but to no avail. Now, villagers want an end to the problem. However, the BSF is yet to talk about the problem. Sub-Divisional Administrator Kingshuk Maiti said, "I have heard about the complaint. I'll investigate the matter and discuss the issue with the BSF. Appropriate action can only be taken then."
