A senior state police officer said on Sunday that some on-duty BSF personnel posted at a polling booth in North Dinajpur had opened fire on Saturday late afternoon, panchayat election day, in which a youth was severely injured.

“The BSF has informed us that they had to fire some rounds in the open to restore normality at the booth during the polling. We are gathering CCTV footage of the booth and other evidence and will initiate a probe,” said Jaspreet Singh, the superintendent of police of Islampur police district of North Dinajpur.

Family sources said that Md Hasibul, 25, suffered three gunshot wounds. He is under treatment at a private nursing home in Purnea, a town in the neighbouring state of Bihar, and is reportedly critical.

Multiple sources said that Hasibul is a known Trinamul supporter in the area.

The disclosure is likely to result in another round of war of words between the ruling Trinamul and the BJP in the backdrop of the ruling party’s allegations of highhandedness of the central forces and the BJP’s claim that central forces were not properly deployed by the poll panel and the state administration.

A police source said that when polling was in progress at a booth in Dhumagarh FP School, located in Dhumagarh village under Goalpokhar-II block of the district, some youths from a neighbouring locality reached the booth around 5pm.

The school is around 70 kilometres away from Raiganj, the district headquarters.

“Seeing the youths, the on-duty BSF personnel asked them to leave the place. As they didn’t move, the BSF charged them with batons, and then, suddenly fired two rounds in the air. It led to a commotion as there were around 100 voters in the queue then. Everybody started running away and then the BSF fired again. I was running with Hasibul. He was hit by bullets and collapsed on the ground,” said Hashim Raja, an eyewitness of the incident.

As the news spread, Hasibul’s family members and some neighbours reached the spot. His house is located around 20 metres away from the booth.

Md Jahid, his father, said they heard gunshots. “We heard multiple rounds. Soon, a local youth informed them that Hasibul had been hit by bullets. We ran and found him lying on an earthen mound. He was bleeding profusely. We arranged an ambulance and took him to the medical college in Kishanganj (in Bihar). As his condition deteriorated, we shifted him to a private nursing home in Purnea. He is in a critical condition,” said Jahid on Sunday, after returning to North Dinajpur from Purnea.

According to him, doctors at the nursing home have said that a bullet pierced Hasibul’s back on the left side.

“He also has bullet wounds in his right hand and right leg. My son was standing near the booth and BSF fired at him without provocation,” said the father.

Hasibul, his family members said, serves in a brick kiln and is a Trinamul supporter.

The incident brought back memories of Sitalkuchi in Cooch Behar. On April 10, 2021, during the Assembly elections, when polling was in progress, the on-duty CISF personnel opened fire at people, killing four persons.

The firing took place at the premises of Amtali Madhyamik Siksha Kendra (booth 5/126) in the Jotpatki area of Sitalkuchi. The incident prompted chief minister Mamata Banerjee to order a CID probe. She had also gone to Sitalkuchi and stood by the bereaved families.

Kanaialal Agarwala, the district Trinamul president of North Dinajpur, echoed Hasibul’s father.

“The BSF was deployed at the booth to conduct the elections peacefully. They, however, resorted to firing without any provocation. A similar incident happened in Cooch Behar during the Assembly polls. Those who shout for the deployment of central forces should see how a youth was shot needlessly,” said Agarwala.

Local Congress leaders, who also said that the BSF opened fire on Saturday, however, came up with a different argument.

“Hasibul and some other Trinamul workers, along with some goons, were trying to capture the booth. As the BSF personnel tried to stop them, they retaliated. This made the BSF open fire,” said Md Enamul Hussain, a local Congress leader.

He added that after the firing incident, voters who were standing in the queue didn’t return to cast their votes. “We have demanded re-polling in the booth,” Hussain added.

The youth’s family, however, didn’t buy the theory of the Congress leader.

Kasouri Begum, Hasibul’s sister, said he didn’t attack the central forces.

“My brother Hasibul went there to watch the polling process with some other local youths. As some tension sparked in the area, he decided to leave. He was coming back when he was shot from behind,” the woman said.