The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker, who died during the party’s Uttarkanya march in Siliguri on Monday, succumbed to injuries caused by pellets fired from shotgun, claimed West Bengal police.

Taking to their official Twitter handle, police assered that the force “do not use shotguns” and contended that killing of the BJP worker Ulen Roy was not a result of their action.

Detailing what the post mortem report said, West Bengal police alleged that the saffron party had brought “armed persons” in their Uttarkanya march, who was “standing near the deceased in the protest” and “fired from close range”.

“As per the PM report “death was due to the effects of shotgun injuries.” Police do not use shotguns. It’s obvious that during yesterday’s protest in Siliguri, armed persons were brought and they fired from firearms,” the West Bengal police said.

“The deceased received pallet injuries from a shotgun fired from close range by a person standing near the deceased in the protest program. This is unprecedented. Bringing armed persons in protest programs and inciting them to fire is unheard off.

“There was a malafide intention to create violence by the use of firearms. CID West Bengal has been asked to investigate. Truth will come out and strong action will be taken against all those who planned and executed the heinous crime,” it added.

Meanwhile, several BJP workers, including six leaders of the party’s women’s wing, were injured, along with several police personnel. BJP leaders said at least 50 party workers, including women, were injured in the clash and that many of them had been hospitalized.

Hundreds of BJP workers and supporters marched towards Uttarkanya, the state government’s branch secretariat, protesting the state government’s “misrule,” when police stopped them.

Either side of Uttarkanya on Asian Highway-2 at Tinbatti and Fulbari turned battlefield when workers of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) and BJP workers and leaders broke the first and second police barricades. Protesters also set fire on barricades.

Police used water cannons and fired several rounds of tear gas shells and threw stones to retaliate the protesters, even as the latter hurled stones at the police.

Notably, the BJYM had called the “Uttarkanya Avijan” today following the line of “Nabanna Avijan,” while keeping an eye on the Assembly elections in 2021.