Kolkata, Nov 15 — Ratan Sheikh, the prime suspect accused of shooting a police constable in Birbhum district last week, was killed in a police encounter on Sunday afternoon, marking the fifth such incident in West Bengal since July.
According to Birbhum district police insiders, officers received a tip-off that Sheikh was hiding in a brick kiln in Charkol village, located within the Nanoor police station limits. A police team rushed to the location to execute an arrest.
"As the police team reached the spot, the accused fired, targeting the cops. The cops had to retaliate in self-defence, and Ratan was injured in that retaliatory police firing. He was rushed to a local hospital, where the doctors declared him dead," a police official stated.
The operation followed an incident on the evening of November 13, when local police attempted to apprehend Sheikh in the Like Bazar area of Bolpur-Shantiniketan.
During that raid, Sheikh opened fire and escaped, critically injuring police constable Biswajit Das. Constable Das is currently receiving medical treatment at a hospital in Kolkata, where Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari previously visited him to review his condition.
Police records indicate that Sheikh, a resident of Santa village in Nanoor, was a repeat offender with 35 criminal cases pending against him, ranging from illegal possession of firearms to drug trafficking. Although he had been arrested previously, he secured bail prior to the November 13 raid.
Sunday's incident is the fifth fatal police encounter in West Bengal since July:
July: Prabhas Mondal, accused of raping and murdering a six-year-old girl in Baruipur, South 24 Parganas, was killed after allegedly snatching an officer's weapon during a crime scene reconstruction.
October: Prahlad Das, accused of the rape and murder of a 17-year-old girl in Gaighata, South 24 Parganas, died in retaliatory police firing during an attempted escape.
October: Samiul Sheikh, arrested for the murder of a BJP worker in Samserganj, Murshidabad district, was killed in a separate police encounter on the same day.
November 8-9: Dilip Roy, the prime accused in the alleged rape and murder of a minor girl in Raiganj, North Dinajpur, was shot dead when he opened fire on officers attempting an arrest.