Protests, demonstrations and road blockades over allegations of political violence and custodial death returned to West Bengal on Wednesday, barely a couple of days after Durga Puja festival drawing to a close.
State unit Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders held a protest at Gandhi Statue on Mayo Road in Kolkata over the alleged custodial death of Madan Ghorui, a BJP worker from Patashpur in Purba Medinipur district. Family members of Ghorui, along with State BJP general secretary Sayantan Basu and Mahila Morcha president Agnimitra Paul held a demonstration for hours at the venue demanding probe by a central investigating agency into the death.
‘Will he get justice?’
“Madan Ghorui, BJP booth vice-president who died in police custody, will he never get justice? All we asked for was a second post-mortem, which was granted but the State govt has been creating obstacles, WHY? What are you scared of Didi? This is police brutality and murder!,” West Bengal BJP tweeted from its official Twitter handle. On October 16 the Calcutta High Court ordered a fresh post mortem of the body at a State-run hospital and directed that the proceedings be video recorded.
Late on Wednesday there was violence in Bagnan area of Howrah district over the death of another BJP worker Kinkar Majhi who, according to party leaders, was shot on Saturday night and succumbed to injuries. The party has also called for a 12- hour bandh in Bagnan on Thursday.
State unit BJP general secretary Sayantan Basu said that the administration is not giving the body of the BJP worker to the family saying he has tested positive for COVID-19.
Several BJP supporters gathered at the State-run NRS Medical College and Hospital where Majhi’s post mortem was done.
Mr. Basu said that more than 120 BJP supporters have been killed in political violence in the State in the past few years during the regime of Trinamool Congress.
TMC’s new campaign
Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress has launched a digital ‘Mark Yourself Safe from BJP’ campaign across all it’s social media handles to “unite people against the wrongdoings committed by the BJP across the country”.
“The website, savebengalfrombjp.com , has already seen over five lakh people mark themselves safe. The number is rising every hour. The Facebook group for this campaign also has nearly 82,000 members,” TMC said in a press statement.
