On BJP workers' death, CM Mamata Banerjee accuses saffron party of killing its own people

A day after a BJP worker died during a protest march in Siliguri, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday claimed that the 'saffron party kills its own people'. Banerjee in a public meeting in Raniganj, quoted Bengal Police to buttress her allegations that BJP is killings its workers in West Bengal in order to create tension ahead of polls in 2021.

"The BJP lies and kills people, in its rallies, their own people are killed. I want to ask are you doing it for publicity since there weren't many people in the rally? The police do not use these (shotguns)... Did you kill a man with pellets for the sake of publicity, for propaganda?"

READ | Bengal Political Violence: Day after BJP worker died, autopsy mentions 'shotgun injuries'

Reacting to Banerjee''s allegation, BJP spokesperson Shamik Bhattacharya told media that "such comments" prove that the state government is trying to hide the truth. "Such kind of illogical comments that BJP in its rally is killing its cadres is not only laughable but also baseless. Such comments are made only to prove that the state government is trying to hide the truth. The rule of law has ceased to exist, and goons dressed as police personnel along with the police attacked our cadres on Monday," he said.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar summoned state Chief Secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay and DGP of West Bengal police Virendra and asked them to meet him by December 12, following the death of the BJP worker. The BJP had called a 12-hour bandh in north Bengal in protest against the police action and the death of its party worker, which evoked mixed response. During the shutdown, clashes broke out between the TMC and the BJP over alleged tearing up of hoardings with Banerjee's picture. The party also took out a candlelight protest march in central Kolkata to protest against killing of Roy. 

READ | 'Aim Is To Make Farmers Self-reliant': Haryana CM Opines After Meeting Tomar Amid Stir

BJP worker's death

The BJP and the TMC sparred over the circumstances in which a saffron party worker was killed on Monday in Siliguri. While BJP has demanded a CBI probe into the incident, Mamata's government handed over the investigation to the CID. BJP's Ullen Roy succumbed to injuries after clashes broke out between Bengal Police and BJP workers in Siliguri, as the saffron party workers, led by MP Tejasvi Sury held Uttarkanya Abhiyan.

READ | Opposition leaders to meet President Kovind at 5 pm on Dec 9 amid protest over farm laws

The West Bengal Police said,  "As per the PM (post-mortem) 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 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 programmes and inciting them to fire is unheard off (sic)." 

READ | Prakash Javadekar slams Oppn over politics of Bandh, attacks Congress on contract farming