BJP worker found hanging in West Midnapore district

Kolkata: A BJP worker, from the tribal community, was found hanging from a tree under mysterious circumstances at Dantan in West Midnapore on Friday morning. Three other BJP were found hanging in separate incidents in Purulia last year, causing a huge political furore in Bengal.

The deceased, Barsha Hansda (38), was a villager of Santoshpur. His name was among those BJP workers against whom the Trinamul Congress had lodged a complaint with the local police after a recent clash between both parties. The BJP accused the chief minister of state Mamata Banerjee’s party of abducting and hanging him to death.

The Trinamul has refuted the allegation. The clash between the BJP and the ruling party took place on November 12. BJP district president of West Midnapore Samit Das claimed that the party workers including Barsha celebrated a picnic in the area on Thursday.

“Barsha, however, did not return home,” he complained while adding that the youth was kidnapped by the Trinamul workers, who later hung the body from the tree to project that he had committed suicide. Trinamul district president of West Midnapore Ajit Maity argued that Barsha committed suicide due to a family-related dispute.

“Neither it was a murder nor politics is involved behind his death,” he said. A case of “unnatural death” has been filed and the body sent for autopsy by the police.

. Ahead of the LS polls, three BJP workers: Trilochan Mahato, Dulal Kumar and Shishpal Sahi were found dead. While two of them were hanging from the tree, another was at a high tension tower.

The Jangalmahal belt in Bengal, comprising West Midnapore, Purulia, Bankura and Jhargram districts, had been witnessing frequent clashes between the Trinamul and Bharatiya Janata Party workers since 2018 panchayat elections.