A three-member division bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde has sought a report from the state government within four weeks in connection with the BJP worker Dulal Kumar’s mysterious death.
The family of Dulal Kumar of Dava village of Balarampur in Purulia has moved the Supreme Court seeking CBI probe. On 29 May 2018, in Supurdih village under Balarampur Police Station limits, a BJP worker, Trilochan Mahato, went missing.
The next day his body was found hanging from a tree outside the village. Again on 1 June, Dulal Kumar, a BJP worker of Dava village under Genrua gram panchayat also went missing. The next day his body was found hanging from a high tension wire outside the village.
Both these cases have been handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) by the state government. CID officials have arrested four Trinamul Congress supporters in connection with the murder of Trilochan Mahato, but so far nobody has been arrested in connection with Dulal Kumar’s death.
The Supreme Court on 27 January sought the probe report from the state government within four weeks. Advocate Gourav Bhatia represented the BJP supporter’s family while veteran advocate Kapil Sibal represented the state government.
A number of BJP supporters have been killed in Purulia after the three-tier gram panchayat elections in which the BJP fared very well. The BJP’s then national president, Amit Shah visited Purulia at that time and addressed a gathering and talked with the victim’s families. Left Front chairman, Biman Bose also visited the villages at that time.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in Purulia also, the BJP has fared very well and the TMC has lost both the seats to the saffron brigade. The turf war escalated after the panchayat elections in 2018 in Purulia.