Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Agnimitra Paul hit out at All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) on May 2 over the death of a BJP member in Simultala and said that the government is creating fear to get votes.
This comes after the West Bengal police on May 2 said that an incident of an alleged gunshot had been received from Simultala, Putimari, Dinhata Police station. According to the Additional SP Cooch Behar, the deceased has been identified as Prashant Basunia.
Talking to ANI, the BJP MLA said, “It is unfortunate that again one of our party members Prashant Basunia has been shot dead by the assailant goons of TMC.”
MLA Agnimitra Paul also demanded a CBI investigation into the case and the resignation of the minister who is in charge of North Bengal development.
“Mamata Banerjee’s government knows that in the upcoming election, they are not going to votes so they are trying to create fear to get votes. I demand the resignation of the minister who is in charge of North Bengal development and wants a CBI investigation in the case,” she said.
The police further said that the investigation into the matter is underway.
The leader of the opposition, Suvendu Adhikari said on June 2, “BJP leader Prashanta Ray Basunia shot dead in Dinhata; Cooch Behar district; WB. The assailants forcefully entered his house & shot him.
Hundreds of party members are quitting the Regional TMC Party in Dinhata & joining the BJP everyday.
Scared by this desertion, the Top level Leadership of the TMC Party got rattled. This gruesome political murder is the reaction.
I demand CBI investigation as any fair investigation by the Police would be obstructed or influenced by the ruling party, due to the involvement of “influential” people.
Every day either people are dying of explosions, murders etc. Political murders targeting opposition party workers have become the norm.
Also, the Home Minister of WB should accept that she has failed to maintain the Law & Order situation and must resign immediately.”
This is not the first incident when a BJP worker has lost his life in Bengal violence.
In May 2023, Bijaykrishna Bhunia, booth president of BJP at Moyna, in the evening, when he was on his way home, the goons of TMC reportedly thrashed him in the presence of his wife. BJP claimed that the TMC goons forcibly abducted him on a motorcycle. The locals found the body after a few hours late at night. The police said the victim’s body had an injury mark on the head.
In 2022, Organiser reported a case where, BJP worker was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Kolkata on Friday (May 6) morning, hours before Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to the city. Speaking with ANI after gathering information about the incident, BJP Vice-President Dilip Ghosh said, “This (BJYM worker’s murder) is a pre-planned strategy to disturb and threaten our workers. Our worker Abhijit was killed on May 2 last year and 60 murders took place since then. Nobody has been punished, no chargesheet has been filed… It can’t be solved without CBI.”
Also in 2021, a party worker Abhijit Sarkar, was killed in the post-poll violence. Sarkar was killed in the post-poll violence in the Narkeldanga area of West Bengal shortly after the assembly election results were announced on May 2. Several incidents of violence have been reported at various places after the announcement of the Assembly poll results on May 2.
Notably, his body was handed over to his family four months after his death. “BJP members pay respects to party worker Abhijit Sarkar, a victim of post-poll violence, whose body was handed to his family after 4 months. Many such incidents can happen. It’s important to pay respects to our worker who lost his life,” Dilip Ghosh told ANI.
