BJP worker death leads to violence in East Midnapore

Kolkata: An alleged murder of a BJP worker, who was found dead in Moyna, East Midnapore early on Sunday, triggered violent clashes between the BJP and Trinamul Congress workers. The body of the victim, Shankar Mondal, was recovered from near a pond at Goramahal village.

He had switched to the BJP from the Trinamul before the Panchayat Elections in the state this year. The BJP workers in the village accused the Trinamul of eliminating him. The BJP workers allegedly came on motorcycles and attacked the homes of Trinamul Congress workers.

Some Trinamul workers fled and took shelter at a police camp, temporarily based at a school, which also became the target of the attackers. Meanwhile, another group of Trinamul workers countered them. To bring situation under control the police fired tear gas shells.

Trinamul East Midnapore district president Subrata Malakar blamed the BJP for the violence. He claimed, “We have formed panchayat boards in Bakcha. But it is the BJP which is indulging in violence. Recently one of their workers lost his hand while making bombs. They have hired miscreants from outside to trigger violence. They were also involved in today’s violence.”

Rejecting his allegations BJP East Midnapore district secretary Nilanjan Adhikary claimed that the Trinamul workers had been unleashing terror across the district since board formation process has been underway at the panchayat level.

“Around 70 Trinamul workers on two-wheelers stormed the village. They were hurling bombs indiscriminately on our workers. Three of our workers were injured,” he alleged.