Civic volunteer's death triggers protests at Fulbari training centre
Telegraph | 10 February 2026
A civic volunteer was found dead on his bed at the state armed police battalion training centre in Fulbari near Siliguri on Monday, triggering protests by fellow civic volunteers and demonstrations by the BJP.
According to sources, Pankaj Barman, 32, was attached to the Mathabhanga police station in Cooch Behar district and was undergoing training at the battalion centre.
Police said they were conducting a probe to find out the cause of Barman's death.
When Barman's colleagues went to call him to join the training session early in the morning, they found him lying unresponsive on his bed. He was rushed to the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Following the incident, a group of civic volunteers undergoing training at the centre staged a demonstration, alleging inadequate medical facilities and poor allowances.
“There should be an ambulance service at the training centre round the clock to prevent such incidents in the future. We think that a prompt medical intervention could have saved his life,” said one of the protesters.
Senior police officers reached the training centre and brought the situation under control. The police have initiated a probe to ascertain the cause of his death.
The BJP was quick to pick up the issue. Sikha Chatterjee, the BJP MLA of Dabgram-Fulbari (the centre is in her constituency), reached the centre and spoke to police officers.
She expressed her disappointment and alleged that medical check-ups of the trainees were not conducted regularly.
Later in the day, Shankar Ghosh, the BJP MLA of Siliguri, staged a protest in the city, demanding a thorough investigation into the death. Ghosh, along with party workers, held a sit-in demonstration in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue on Kutcheri Road in Siliguri.
Addressing the gathering, Ghosh said that civic volunteers worked hard but received meagre allowances and were deprived of basic facilities. “I have informed (leader of the Opposition) Suvendu Adhikari about the incident. We demand a proper investigation into the death,” he said.