Condemning brutal murder of television journalist Santanu Bhowmick, who was hacked to death while covering an agitation organised by the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) on Wednesday, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) Polit Bureau blamed BJP-backed miscreants for the incident. Four IPFT men have been arrested for the murder. Mr. Bhowmick was killed during clashes between workers from the CPI(M)’s tribal wing — the Tripura Upajati Gan Mukti Parishad — and the IPFT.
Mr. Bhowmick, a journalist from the Dinrat news channel, was hit from behind and abducted when he was covering the agitation. The BJP was quick to blame CPI(M) workers for the murder. Assam Minister and BJP leader on Thursday tweeted: “I highly condemn brutal killing of young Tripura TV journalist Santanu Bhowmick. Shri Manik Sarkar’s CPI(M) government has much to answer.”
Answering the allegation, the CPI(M)’s official Twitter handle put out a letter reportedly written by BJP State treasurer Sujit Banerjee, according to which ₹2 lakh had been handed over to the IPFT on instruction from the central leadership. The CPI(M) Polit Bureau said there was a pattern to these killings.
