Cooch Behar: Trinamul Congress calls bandh after murder of 'supporter'
Telegraph | 11 January 2024
A murder in Cooch Behar took a political turn on Wednesday with the Trinamul Congress claiming that the deceased was its supporter and he had been killed by BJP workers.
Police detained four persons. A section of Trinamul leaders announced a 24-hour bandh in the locality and surrounding areas on Thursday.
Sources said two groups of people had entered into an argument over cutting bamboo from a grove in Salbari More, an area in the Natabari 1 panchayat in the district.
Tapan Das and Radhakanta Das had a heated argument with Anil Das and Akhil Das, all local residents.
Soon, a scuffle ensued and Tapan Das, 33, was hacked to death. Some others, who were injured, were sent to hospitals for first aid.
Four persons, including Akhil Das, have been detained.
Trinamul leaders claimed that Tapan was an active party worker.
“Some local BJP workers have hacked him to death without any provocation. We have called a 24-hour strike tomorrow in protest and want the police to arrest all those involved in the murder. Some Trinamul workers were injured and are under treatment,” said Rabindranath Ghosh, a state vice-president of Trinamul.
The bandh, party sources said, will be observed in all 14 panchayat areas of Tufanganj-I block.
In recent years, this will be the first time Trinamul will observe a general strike in the district. “It is surprising because time and again, Trinamul supremo Mamata Banerjee has said that the party is against any strike,” said a political veteran in the district.
BJP leaders, however, denied the charge. Malati Rava Roy, the BJP MLA of Tufanganj, said it was a local incident.
“It has no connection with politics. It was a dispute between two families and Trinamul is trying to play politics by using the unfortunate incident and raising baseless charges at our party,” she said.
A police picket has been set up in the area to keep the situation under control.