Violence erupted in Dinhata in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district on Wednesday after a local BJP leader was found dead in the morning.
The body of BJP Dinhata Town mandal president Amit Sarkar was found at a local veterinary hospital.
BJP supporters targeted the police with stones and blocked roads in the area. They also attacked the office of the Trinamool Congress that was accused of being behind the death. Police resorted to use of force and teargas shells were fired.
Cooch Behar MP and BJP candidate from Dinhata said that Mr. Sarkar was killed the same way several BJP supporters, including Hemtabad MLA Debendra Nath Roy, were killed. “Every day, we are losing party supporters. How long will this continue,” Mr Pramanik asked.
Local TMC MLA Udayan Guha staged a dharna outside the local police station to protest against the attacks on the party’s offices. Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, who was in north Bengal earlier in the day, said that the commission had asked for a report on the issue.
The BJP leadership, including party observer to the State Kailash Vijayvargiya, said that such attacks would not deter the BJP from achieving its objective of forming the government in West Bengal
“Pishi’s KHELA HOBE! Amit Sarkar, Dinhata town mondal president, was hanged to death by TMC goons just 72 hours before the first phase of polling. People of Bengal to take a decisive step against this blood thirsty govt that is responsible for more than 130 BJP worker’s murder,” BJP West Bengal tweeted from its official Twitter handle.
Security Advisor removed
In another development, the Election Commision of India on Wednesday removed Surajit Kar Purakayastha from the post of State Security Advisor. Mr. Kar Purakayashtha cannot be involved in any activities related to the election.
The post of State Security Advisor was created by the Mamata Banerjee government and Mr. Kar Purakayastha was appointed to the post after he retired as Director General of Police.
