The killing of a BJP and a TMC worker in two separate incidents in Birbhum district of West Bengal has triggered a fresh round of battle between the two parties with both blaming each other for the killings.
The body of BJP worker Tapas Bagdi was found hanging from a tree in Dwaraka village of Birbhum district, while TMC block president Dipak Ghosh was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Khayrasole of the same district on Sunday night, said the police.
Bagdi’s family said he had left the house after lunch. As he did not return home by night, his family started searching for him and found the body hanging from a tree.
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The BJP Birbhum district leadership claimed Bagdi was a party worker.
Ananda Bagdi, father of the deceased, lodged a complaint at the Labhpur police station against five TMC workers alleging they killed his son, the police said.
The district TMC leaders denied the allegations and said, “Our workers were not at all involved in this case.”
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Superintendent of Police (Birbhum) Kunal Agarwal said the cause of Bagdi’s death would be known only after a post-mortem.
‘Case of unnatural death’
“We are now treating it as a case of unnatural death. We do not know whether the person was affiliated to any political party,” the SP said.
On the Dipak Ghosh murder case, the SP said seven people have been detained for interrogation.
BJP State president Dilip Ghosh said the TMC had let loose a “reign of terror” across the State and was trying to “annihilate” BJP workers. “The TMC is trying to kill our party workers. Our party workers are either harassed, threatened or killed just because they are associated with the BJP. This is really shameful,” he said.
The incident brought back memories of two BJP workers found hanging in Purulia district on June 2 and May 31, respectively, just after the panchayat polls concluded in the State.
The central BJP unit had held nationwide agitations to protest against the killing of two Dalit workers. BJP national president Amit Shah had also held a rally in Purulia to protest against the killing and had called for defeating the TMC in the State.
TMC Khayrasole block president Dipak Ghosh, who was shot at Sunday night by unidentified persons, passed away at a private hospital on Monday, said the police.
Dipak Ghosh was riding a motorcycle with a party worker when unidentified persons fired at him near Khayrasole village. He received bullet injuries to his shoulder and lower parts of the body.
‘Goons hired by BJP’
Birbhum district TMC chief Anubrata Mondal alleged that goons hired by the BJP attacked Dipak Ghosh.
BJP district president Ramkrishna Roy denied the allegations and claimed that the killing was a result of infighting in the TMC.