BJP: Cops backing those guilty behind Purulia deaths

PURLIA: Rejecting the police’s statement that one of its workers who was found hanging from an electrical pole in West Bengal’s Purulia had committed suicide, the BJP on Sunday said cops were trying to shield the “guilty” Trinamool Congress (TMC) members behind the “murders”.

Purulia’s new police superintendent, Akash Magharia, said on Sunday that the post-mortem report revealed that BJP worker Dulal Kumar, who was found dead on Saturday, had committed suicide. “We have received the report, which states suicide as the reason for his death. But further investigations are on,” he said.

Rejecting Magharia’s statement, BJP state general secretary, Sayantan Basu, said police were trying to shield Kumar’s “murderers” who he said were associated with the TMC.

“We have decided to move court and demand a CBI probe. The state government’s order for a CID enquiry is nothing but a farce since the CID will take the same line of shielding the ruling party,” Basu said.

The death of two BJP workers in Purulia over the past three days has sparked a political slugfest between the TMC and the BJP. BJP leader Locket Chatterjee said its workers’ “murders” were prompted by chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew and TMC parliamentarian Abhishek Banerjee’s call to ensure that a zero-opposition panchayat is formed in the district.

“In my opinion, Abhishek Banerjee should be arrested for making such provocative statements,” she said.

But Trinamool’s Purulia district president and state minister, Shantiram Mahato, said his party did not indulge in political violence.

“The chief minister has already ordered a CID enquiry and the deaths will be probed extensively. The post-mortem report suggests Dulal’s death as suicide. It is the BJP which is doing dirty politics over deaths,” Mahato said.

On May 30, the body of another BJP worker, Trilochan Mahato, 18, was found hanging from a tree at Balarampur. A note, “Punishment for being with BJP”, was written in Bengali on Mahato’s T- shirt.

In the recently concluded three-tier panchayat polls in Bengal, BJP candidates won in several gram panchayat and panchayat samiti seats i n Purulia.

“The killing of two BJP workers is a result of the fear of Trinamool Congress because of our good results in the district in the panchayat polls,” said BJP state president Dilip Ghosh.