A police operation to arrest Ratan Sheikh, accused of shooting a constable in Santiniketan on November 13, ended in a gunfight in Birbhum district on Sunday. Sheikh was killed after he allegedly opened fire on the police team at a brick kiln in Nanoor, where officers had tracked him down while trying to arrest him.

Sheikh's death marks the fifth police encounter in West Bengal in six months since the BJP formed the government, a senior police officer said.

What Did CM Suvendu Say About The Encounter?

Speaking on the police encounter, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said that the police did what was necessary on the spot. "It would not be appropriate for me to comment on this. There is no place for goons and rapists in West Bengal. Even now, whatever remaining goons and those with illegal arms are left, flee from here; leave immediately. There is no place for them here," he said.

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What Did Ratan Sheikh Do?

Ratan Sheikh, a history-sheeter, had been on the run since November 13 after he allegedly shot Constable Biswajit Das in the leg during an attempt to arrest him at Laik Bazar in Birbhum’s Santiniketan area.

Police said the firing took place near a closed private nursing home on the Bolpur-Nanoor main road. An officer and a constable on a motorcycle spotted Sheikh and tried to stop him, but he allegedly opened fire and managed to escape. Das was taken to Bolpur Sub-Divisional Hospital by Santiniketan police personnel.

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Police also dismissed reports that the shooting happened inside a house, making it clear that the confrontation took place on the road outside the nursing home.

Reacting to Sheikh’s death, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari defended the police action. “If someone opens fire at the police, should the police offer them sweets?” he asked reporters. He added that criminals would have no place in the state.