Four civic volunteers and an elected panchayat member of BJP were thrashed by a Border Security Force (BSF) officer at Bijol village under Habibpur police station of Malda on Tuesday night, police sources said.

The incident created a sensation in the locality with people demanding that the police deal with the matter sternly following the course of law.

Police sources said an officer of the BSF moving in a vehicle suddenly got into an altercation with two on-duty civic volunteers.

Two other civic volunteers, who were returning home from the local police station on bicycles after their duty, were also there.

“The BSF officer was questioning them as to what they are doing there though he had no business to do so. He suddenly got agitated and assaulted two civic volunteers. As the other two protested, they were also roughed up. Hearing the commotion, Santosh Soren, a member of Baidyapur gram panchayat, went there and tried to mediate. Though he introduced himself to the officer, he too, was manhandled,” a senior police officer said.

After the incident, the BSF officer dragged one of the civic volunteers into his vehicle and left the spot.

As the news spread, Purnendu Mukherjee, the inspector-in-charge of Habibpur police station, went to the spot himself.

“I picked up the other injured civic volunteers and the panchayat member and was on way to a local hospital. After some time, the other civic volunteer was found on the road. Later, all of them were admitted at a hospital for treatment,” said Mukherjee.

The incident has made all four civic volunteers file a common complaint against the BSF officer. The panchayat member has filed a separate complaint with the police, said sources. “Cases have been registered and the necessary legal steps have been initiated,” a senior police officer said.

Malda district police chief Alok Rajoria said: “Whatever happened on Tuesday night is undesirable. We have already spoken with the BSF officials. The police and BSF maintain a strong coordination in Malda to curb crime along the borders. We believe that the incident would not affect our coordination with the BSF.”

No one from the BSF was ready to comment on the issue. A source said they identified the officer and were talking to him to know what led to the incident.

Joel Murmu, the BJP MLA of Habibpur, condemned the incident. “It is quite unfortunate. I would take up the matter with our state leadership,” Murmu said.

Trinamul leaders have also raised questions over the alleged highhandedness of the BSF in bordering areas.

They pointed to a recent incident when a BSF team had entered a village in Cooch Behar and opened fire that had led to the death of a youth.