A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader in Mandirbazar area in West Bengal’s Diamond Harbour was hacked to death by miscreants on Friday night. The BJP claimed that the killing was orchestrated by goons belonging to ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).
Two people were arrested by the police but the authorities didn’t confirm the involvement of any political party.
The deceased has been identified as 45-year-old Shaktipada Sardar. He was the secretary of BJP Mandal committee of Mandirbazar -Dhanurhat area.
Sardar was returning home after downing shutters when some miscreants attacked him with a sharp-edged weapon. They left him bleeding on the road.
The BJP leader was rushed to a local hospital in Diamond Harbour. As his condition worsened, Sardar was referred to a hospital in Kolkata but he died on the way.
The BJP alleged that Sardar was killed by TMC goons.
Reacting to the killing, state BJP president Dilip Ghosh said, “Brutal murder of Shaktipada Sardar, BJP-Mandir Bazar Mandal (South24Parganas) Secretary is another example of #PoliticalTerrorism of TMC.”
“Declining popularity graph of TMC-Sarkar and gradual isolation of party from common people are resulting into such rage,” he wrote on Twitter.
Party MP from Asansol Babul Supriyo said that Sardar paid the price for BJP’s victory in the same block during Panchayat elections.
“Another heinous murder of BJP member, Shaktipada Sardar, from Dhanurhat,South 24 Parganas, by blood thirsty TMC goons. He paid the price for BJP’s victory in the same block during the Panchayat elections #Bengal.@BJP4Bengal. My condolences to his family members for their loss,” he wrote on Twitter.
The BJP said that Sardar’s killing was a “continuation of panchayat poll violence as process for panchayat board has just begun”.
Sardar had played a role in giving BJP a major boost in the area in the Panchayat polls, in which the saffron party had performed well.
BJP’s electoral chances in Mandirbazar improved with more people extending their support to the party. The party, however, alleged that many of its candidates were not allowed to file nomination in the Panchayat polls that were marred by rampant violence.
The BJP has previously accused the TMC of killing three of its workers – two in Purulia and one in Murshidabad.
On 30 May, the body of a 20-year-old BJP worker was found hanging from a tree in Purulia’s Balarampur with a chilling message on the back of his white T-shirt, “BJP politics at only 18 years”.
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On 2 June, the body of BJP worker Dulal Kumar was found hanging from a power transmission tower in Purulia.
A month later, the body of Dhormo Hazra, a Dalit BJP worker, was recovered from a pond in Shaktipur area of Murshidabad. Hazra’s body was found with his hands tied.
BJP had performed well in the Panchayat elections in all the areas where the deaths occurred.