A BJP worker was killed in West Bengal's Hooghly district.
A BJP worker was killed in a clash allegedly with members of the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal's Hooghly district soon after a local BJP unit held a flag-hoisting ceremony on Saturday morning.
According to preliminary reports, the clash broke out at Natibpur village, 70 km from Kolkata, around 11 AM, after a dispute during separate flag-hoisting functions by the rival parties.
Natibpur is a village in the Khanakul block of Hooghly district.
The BJP has called a 12-hour shutdown in Khanakul block on Sunday. Eight people have been detained as of Saturday evening. Two BJP MPs from neighbouring districts went on a sit-in at Hooghly's Arambagh town, blockading the state road connecting to Kolkata.
Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato of Purulia was the first to reach, followed by Soumitra Khan, BJP MP of Bishnupur. They sat outside the hospital where the body of the 30-year-old BJP worker, Sudarshan Pramanik, was taken for post-mortem.
A huge police force was rushed to Natibpur village soon after the incident to maintain calm.
Local Trinamool leader Dilip Yadav denied any party link to the clash. "The man died in an internal BJP clash," Mr Yadav said.
Local BJP president Biman Ghosh said,"Unless the police arrest the Trinamool culprits within 12 hours, Khanakul block will burn."
The Arambagh sub-division has been reporting clashes between the rival political parties that are locked in a battle to control turf.