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BJP worker killed in Bengal, protests erupt
The region, under Tamluk Lok Sabha seat, is considered to be the backyard of leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari and is scheduled to vote on Saturday.
A woman Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker was killed and several others were injured in an alleged attack by Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers in Nandigram in West Bengal in the early hours of Thursday, two days before the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections, triggering widespread agitation and tension in the region.
As the BJP, which blocked roads and burnt tyres to mark their protest, accused chief minister Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee of “instigating” the violence, the TMC said it was a result of the opposition party’s “internal feud between its old timers and new recruits”.
The region, under Tamluk Lok Sabha seat, is considered to be the backyard of leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari and is scheduled to vote on Saturday. Former Calcutta high court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay has been fielded by the BJP whereas the TMC has nominated Debangshu Bhattacharya from the seat.
According to police officials aware of the details, BJP worker Rathibala Arhi (56) was allegedly killed and seven others, including the deceased’s son, were injured after they were attacked with rods and sharp weapons by a group of bike-borne unidentified people in Manasa Bazar at Sonachura at around 2am on Thursday.
“Rathibala Ari was killed and a few people were injured in the attack in the early hours of Thursday. The deceased’s son Sanjay Ari suffered grievous injuries and is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Kolkata. A detailed probe is underway,” a police officer said, seeking anonymity. No arrests were made till the time of filing this report.
BJP leaders claimed their workers were guarding a local polling booth when the attack took place. “TMC-backed criminals attacked them. Rathibala was murdered and others were left badly injured,” BJP district general secretary Meghnadh Paul told PTI.
After Sanjay’s condition turned “very critical”, he was shifted to a hospital in the city, Paul said, adding that others are being treated at a local medical establishment.
On Thursday, BJP workers took to the streets to protest against the incident. They burnt tyres and used wooden logs to block roads in at least 13 places and ransacked a few shops and set them ablaze, prompting the police to resort to lathicharge to disperse them, people aware of the details said. Besides the state police, central forces and Rapid Action Force personnel were deployed at the spot to monitor the situation.
BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, in an oblique reference to Abhishek Banerjee’s public speech in the area on Wednesday, said on X: “The bloodshed was a direct fallout of bhaipo (nephew – Abhishek Banerjee)’s provocation in Nandigram yesterday. The murder was orchestrated by the Trinamool after realising its certain defeat. The BJP will see this through to its end, exact revenge in a legal manner, and respond by democratic means.”
The opposition party also moved the Election Commission against the “inflammatory statements” by Mamata Banerjee at a rally on May 16 in Haldia, where she said she will “avenge” her defeat in Nandigram in the 2021 assembly elections to Adhikari, her former protege.
Dismissing the BJP’s allegations, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said: “It (murder) is a very unfortunate incident. The TMC has nothing to do with it. This is the result of the BJP’s internal feud between its old timers and new recruits. The police must investigate this.”
