BJP to organise nationwide protest over Purulia killings

Kolkata: The BJP leadership is planning to organise nationwide agitation against the alleged killing of two party workers in West Bengal’s Purulia district, a senior party leader said on Thursday.

The party has planned to hold protests and demonstrations in all the state capitals and New Delhi between June 18-24 against the alleged killing of two BJP activists Dulal Kumar and Trilochan Mahato, BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha said.

“During this agitation programme we will speak about the reign of terror in West Bengal under TMC rule. We will also organise similar agitation programmes in all West Bengal districts during the same time,” he said.

A senior state BJP leader said at a time when TMC supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee is trying to pitch herself as the fulcrum of the anti-BJP alliance, the nation wide agitation will “expose the reign of terror TMC in Bengal”.

Two BJP activists — 35-year-old Dulal Kumar and 20-year-old Trilochan Mahato — were found hanging in West Bengal’s Purulia district on June 2 and May 31, respectively.

BJP chief Amit Shah will visit Purulia’a Balr-ampur area, where the bodies of two men were found hanging allegedly in the wake of panchayat elections. He is scheduled to pay a two-day visit to the state from June 27, BJP state general secretary Sayantan Basu said.

After the death of Mahato, Mr Shah had tweeted, “Deeply hurt by the brutal killing of our young karyakarta, Trilochan Mahato, in Balarampur, West Bengal. A young life full of possibilities was brutally taken under state’s patronage. He was hanged on a tree just because his ideology differed from that of state-sponsored goons.”

Mr Shah had tweeted again after the death of Dulal Kumar. “Distressed to know about yet another killing of BJP karyakarta Dulal Kumar in Balaramp-ur, West Bengal. This continued brutality and violence in the land of West Bengal is shameful and inhuman. Mamata Baner-jee’s govt has completely failed to maintain law and order in the state.”

The alleged killings had created a political controversy as the BJP had performed well against TMC in Balarampur area of Purulia district in the recent panchayat polls.