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BJP youth wing leader killed in north Bengal; acquaintance held
The secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) local youth wing unit at Itahar in North Dinajpur district of north Bengal died on Sunday night shortly after he was shot near his home, police said
The secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) local youth wing unit at Itahar in North Dinajpur district of north Bengal died on Sunday night shortly after he was shot near his home, police said.
Mithun Ghosh, 32, died while he was being rushed to Raiganj Medical College and Hospital.
While the state BJP leadership alleged that Ghosh was killed by criminals backed by the Trinamool Congress (TMC), the district police arrested Santosh Mahato, an acquaintance of Ghosh. The police are on the lookout for Sukumar Ghosh, another acquaintance of the victim.
Quoting Ajit Ghosh, a cousin of the deceased, Mohammed Sana Akhtar, superintendent of police, North Dinajpur district said, “Before his death, Mithun talked to his cousin and mentioned Sukumar Ghosh and Santosh Mahato.”
“Investigation has revealed that on Sunday night Mithun went out to have dinner with the two men at a hotel. After returning home around 10 pm, he took out two firearms from his room to show those to Ghosh and Mahato who were waiting outside the house. Ghosh accidentally fired a weapon and the bullet hit Mithun. Only one round was fired. Mahato was arrested on Monday morning while Ghosh is still at large. This incident is not related to politics in any way,” said Akhtar.
While he was being taken to court, Mahato told the media that he was present when Ghosh was shot. “Sukumar Ghosh fired the gun,” he told reporters.
Suvendu Adhikari, leader of the opposition in the state assembly, alleged that Mithun Ghosh was killed by criminals backed by the TMC.
The state BJP declared an eight-hour bandh in North Dinajpur district on Tuesday. The victim’s sister, Pompi Mitra, also accused the ruling party.
“Local TMC leaders had been threatening my brother for a long time. They wanted him to leave the BJP,” she said.
Kanchana Ghosh, the victim’s mother, said, “My son’s life was in danger. He had many enemies. TMC workers had been threatening him.”
Pradip Sarkar, a senior BJP district leader, said, “This was not the first attempt on Mithun’s life. He was shot in the leg before the assembly polls. He was a dedicated leader.”
The superintendent of police however said the investigation did not reveal any political angle. “There is no political overtone whatsoever,” he said.
