Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court has directed the BSF authorities to settle the claims of a retired BSF jawan who got a bullet embedded in his abdomen during an ambush in Manipur 11 years back.

Justice S P Talukdar yesterday asked the BSF Director-General to ensure that Pijush Kanti Bhattacharya get his proper dues as per the rule in case of disability in the line of duty within two weeks of receiving a representation from the retired jawan.

Bhattacharya had filed a case in the High Court alleging disparity and denial of proper pension admissible to the jawans suffering from permanent disability during service.

Bhattacharya had joined the BSF as a constable in its 55th battalion in 1987 and was posted in Manipur.

On May 21 1997, ultras ambushed a BSF convoy killing 11 jawans. Bhattacharya was severely injured after he was hit by five bullets, his counsel Subrata Mukherjee submitted before the court.

He was treated at a military facility in Manipur, where four bullets were extracted except one which was placed at a critical spot in his abdomen.

Suffering from severe abdominal pain for long, in January 2003 he was operated upon at Ramakrishna Mission Seva Pratisthan here to get the bullet out, but the bullet instead got embedded in his lumbar region during the surgery.

As he became unable to work, he was asked to take premature retirement by a medical board of the BSF.

On retirement, however, the authorities started paying him Rs 1,913 as pension but he claimed the pension of Rs 5,000 according to permanent disability pension.

Bhattacharya also alleged that he was not paid full gratuity.
Source : PTI