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Gun licence of slain Bengal BJP leader revoked 8 months ago, police say he faced murder charges
Police said gun licences of many people in Barrackpore came under the scanner last year for procuring licences from a north eastern state by declaring local addresses in that state as their permanent residence.
Manish Shukla, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader who was shot dead Sunday night by motorcycle-borne assailants at Titagarh in North 24 Parganas district, used to carry a pistol for personal safety till early this year. He knew that there was a threat to his life, said his father and local JP leaders.
The weapon’s licence was revoked by the police about eight months ago, his father as well as the local BJP Lok Sabha MP, Arjun Singh, said on Monday.
“Unlike other states, politicians from opposition parties face death threats in West Bengal. My son had to surrender his pistol after the licence was revoked by the Barrackpore police. He never fired a round but the police cancelled the licence without assigning any reason. Attempts were made on his life earlier also,” Chandramoni Shukla, father of the slain leader, said.
“Shukla was not an exception. The police revoked the gun licences of my son and nephew as well. They did not show any reason. This was done to make them vulnerable to threats. We have learnt that Shukla was shot with a 9 mm carbine. These weapons are used by the police,” Singh told HT. Singh’s son Pawan Singh is the legislator from Bhatpara, which is part of the Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency.
Urban development minister Firhad Hakim alleged that Shukla was a victim of conspiracy. “He was pressured to join the BJP after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. He was not happy and wanted to return to the Trinamool Congress (TMC). He sent feelers to us. Singh is protected by Central security forces. Why wasn’t Shukla provided with the same security? I have heard that sharpshooters were brought from another state. Police will get to the bottom of this. Shukla was a favourite leader of mine,” said Hakim.
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BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya and national secretary Arvind Menon demanded a CBI probe, saying law and order in West Bengal has collapsed and more than 20 BJP workers have been murdered in the last two months.
The West Bengal police, however, said that Manish Shukla, who was an outgoing councilor of the Titagarh municipality, faced several charges of murder and attempted murder. The state police also said that his death could be related to personal enmity.
“A person was shot dead last evening in Titagarh area of Barrackpore. Police is investigating the crime and looking into all possible reasons including personal enmity because the victim was accused in some cases of murder and attempt of murder,” tweeted the state police without naming Shukla.
“Please do not jump on conclusion without proper investigation. Irresponsible comments on social media tantamount to interference in the investigation. Please refrain from this,” the state police said in a second tweet.
Barrackpore police commissioner Manoj Verma refused to divulge details of the investigation but a senior police officer told HT on condition of anonymity that gun licences of many people in Barrackpore came under the scanner last year.
“The Arms Act department found that these people had procured the licences from a north eastern state by declaring local addresses in that state as their permanent residence. This is punishable under the Indian Arms Act. Weapons were purchased from gun shops in West Bengal against those licences,” the officer said.
“We are checking the sale records of all gun shops in Kolkata and the districts. This is a big investigation,” he added.
While the BJP observed a bandh in Titagarh, agitated party workers attacked the police with stones. The police resorted to baton charge and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse the mob. No casualty was reported.
Senior BJP leaders and a large number of party workers waited all day outside NRS Hospital in Kolkata where the post-mortem examination on Shukla’s body was conducted. The body was handed over to the BJP leaders around 6.45 pm
Barrackpore constituency has witnessed numerous incidents of violence and deaths since Singh left the Trinamool Congress and joined the BJP in 2018. He defeated the TMC’s sitting MP Dinesh Trivedi in 2019.
“In July, a professional hitman named Neeraj, who belongs to the gang of Mukhtar Ansari in Uttar Pradesh, was sent to kill me. I came to know of this and informed Union home minister Amit Shah. Last night I lost my brother,” Singh told HT.
Hakim alleged that it was Singh who brought sharpshooters from other states. “He introduced this culture in Barrackpore,” Hakim told reporters.
Three people were detained by the police on Monday evening for questioning.
