30-year-old Dulal Kumar was found hanging from an electric pylon in Purulia on Saturday.
Highlights
- Dulal Kumar died of asphyxia ante-mortem by suicidal hanging, report said
- The BJP rejected the suicide theory and called it a "political murder"
- BJP workers also claimed that the TMC is using Maoists to kill them
A 30-year-old BJP worker who was
found hanging from an electric pylon yesterday in West Bengal's Purulia committed suicide, doctors at a government hospital have said in the post-mortem report. The death, second in four days -- a BJP worker was found hanging from a tree in the same district on Wednesday -- has sparked a heated political blame game between the party and the ruling Trinamool Congress.
"Five doctors have conducted the post-mortem and concluded that Dulal Kumar died of asphyxia ante-mortem by suicidal hanging," Aakash Maghariya, Purulia's newly-appointed Superintendent Of Police, said at a press conference today, quoting the hospital report.
In Balarampur, where Dulal Kumar lived with his family, roads were blocked as part of a 12-hour shutdown called by the BJP today. The party has rejected the post-mortem theory and called the deaths "political murders".
"This was a cold-blooded, calculated murder. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) wants to terrorise BJP supporters like Dulal Kumar and
Trilochan Mahato, who was found hanging on Wednesday," said a BJP supporter at the Balrampur barricade.
Another BJP supporter said, "TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee has already sent out a warning that he would make Purulia opposition free. This is what the TMC has set out to do."
Out of the 20 blocks in Purulia district, the BJP seized control of 12 in the recent panchayat polls. This has triggered tension in the district.
Asked that since the BJP was in control of most of Purulia district, were there any TMC workers left to carry out the alleged murders, the BJP workers claimed the TMC has roped in Maoists for the killings.
Earlier, the Trinamool used the Maoists to kill CPM workers, now they are using them to kill us," a BJP worker said.
Like the BJP, the TMC, too, is pointing fingers at the Maoists and also at the turf war bewteen the BJP and the Bajrang Dal, which are both very active in Purulia.
TMC leader Derek O'Brien has tweeted that there are also concerns about a troublemaker coming into Purulia from across the border. Purulia shares a border with Jharkhand, which is a BJP-ruled state.
Meanwhile, the BJP-called bandh has so far been peaceful. "Law and order situation has been under control. The strike has affected the life partially," an officer at Balarampur police station said.