FIR Filed For Beating Man To Death In Assam; Border Force Denies Claim

In a major development, the Assam police have registered an FIR against four personnel of the Border Security Force (BSF) in Cachar district for allegedly beating a 45-year-old partially disabled man to death.

The FIR was lodged on Monday afternoon at Kalain Police Station, following widespread protests in the area by local residents. The incident has triggered public outrage, though the BSF has denied the allegations and stated that it has initiated an internal probe, the sources said.

The victim, identified as Nirmal Namasudra, was allegedly assaulted by BSF personnel on the night of August 1. He later succumbed to his injuries at Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH) the next day.

According to police sources, Nirmal, who locals say suffered from a mental disorder, was a farmer by occupation. On the night of the incident, he reportedly told his family that he was feeling unwell due to the humid weather and stepped out of the house around 11:30 pm.

Roughly half an hour later, the alleged incident occurred.

In the FIR, a copy of which has been accessed by NDTV, the victim's family alleges that BSF personnel forcibly dragged Nirmal into their vehicle while locals tried to intervene. "When people protested, the BSF personnel threatened them with guns and rifles and hurled abuses," the FIR states.

Since Sunday, the alleged incident has sparked protests in the Katigorah area, with residents accusing BSF personnel of harassing civilians at night under the guise of security operations.

BSF sources have said that Nirmal was found heavily intoxicated and injured, and that it was BSF personnel who rescued him and took him to the hospital.

The sources further confirmed that BSF has started its own internal inquiry into the matter.