Man with links with BJP found dead in South 24-Parganas
The Statesman | 25 March 2026
With the election bugle sounding across Bengal, a murder in South 24-Parganas has triggered sharp political reactions, even as police point to a possible personal motive behind the crime.
A 39-year-old BJP worker, Kishore Maji, was found grievously injured near a pond close to his residence in the Mena area under Dighirpar–Bakul Tala gram panchayat in Raidighi Assembly constituency late on Monday night. Maji, who served as vice-president of booth number 216 of the BJP, was rushed to Raidighi Rural Hospital by local residents but succumbed to his injuries, doctors said.
The incident sparked tension in the area soon after the news spread. BJP leaders alleged that Maji had been receiving threats since the announcement of the Assembly elections and squarely blamed “Trinamul-backed miscreants” for the killing. Police, however, indicated a different line of investigation. According to initial findings, the murder may have stemmed from strained personal relationships. Acting on a complaint lodged by the victim’s father, police detained three persons for questioning and later arrested Maji’s wife, Anima Das, along with her alleged partner, Gobinda Haldar. Both are currently being interrogated, officials said.
Superintendent of Police of Sundarban Police District, Bishwajit Thakur, confirmed the arrests and said further investigation is underway to ascertain the exact sequence of events. The body has been sent for post-mortem. The killing has quickly snowballed into a political controversy. BJP’s Raidighi candidate Palash Rana visited the victim’s family on Tuesday morning and alleged that attempts were being made to “cover up a political murder” by projecting it as a case of illicit relationship. “The police and the ruling party are trying to pass it off as a personal issue. This is a cold-blooded murder. If justice is denied, the BJP will launch a movement,” Rana said. Family members, however, offered a differing account.
A relative of the deceased claimed that the accused neighbour, Gobinda Haldar, had an alleged relationship with Maji’s wife, which had led to frequent domestic discord. “We believe this is not linked to politics,” the relative said. Trinamul Congress leaders dismissed the BJP’s allegations. Party MP from Mathurapur, Bapi Haldar, termed the charges “baseless” and accused the BJP of trying to “fish in troubled waters” during the elections. “This appears to be a case of a love triangle. Dragging politics into it is unfortunate,” he said. Police said all angles are being examined.