Trilochan's father has named six men he alleges had threatened to kill his son
Highlights
- The body was found hanging in Purulia's Balarampur
- In Balarapur, BJP got majority in several gram panchayats
- BJP has demanded a CBI inquiry into the incident
A young BJP worker was found hanging from a tree in West Bengal's Purulia district at dawn today, in what the party alleged was a political murder linked to the violent civic polls in the state earlier this month. 20-year-old Trilochan Mahato was hanging by a nylon rope not very far from his home at Supurdih village in Purulia's Balarampur block.
Scrawled on the back and front of his white T-Shirt was a chilling message, repeated in a note found on a piece of paper left at his feet dangling just inches from the ground.
Roughly translated, the messages said, "This is for doing BJP politics from age 18. Been trying to kill you since the vote. Failed. Today you are dead."
Near the body, according to Trilochan's father, Hari Mahato's police complaint, a broken pen, a broken refill, a mobile, wallet, slippers were found flung around. And Trilochan's new bicycle.
BJP president Amit Shah tweeted he was "deeply hurt by the brutal killing of our young karyakarta."
In the tweet that had graphic images of Trilochan's body, he said, "A young life full of possibilities was brutally taken out under state's patronage. He was hanged on a tree just because his ideology differed from that of state sponsored goons."
The BJP has demanded a CBI inquiry. Trilochan, said BJP, had worked very hard during the recent Panchayat polls in which Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress suffered some setbacks in Purulia.
In the Balarampur block where Trilochan's village is located, BJP won majority in seven gram panchayats and the panchayat samiti, snatching them from Trinamool.
A senior Trinamool leader from Purulia, Shrishti Dhar Mahato, alleged Trilochan was killed because of infighting within the BJP. "I want a CID (the state-run Criminal Investigation Department) probe into the murder. Today there is so much infighting within the BJP for a chair, I think the BJP killed him," he said.
Trilochan's father, in his police complaint, named six men he claimed had fought with his youngest son on 14 May during election at the poll booth in the village and threatened to kill him.
In the polls marked by rigging, violence and intimidation of voters, the Trinamool won 34 per cent of nearly 58,000 seats uncontested as there was no rival candidate. The Supreme Court has asked the results to be withheld till further hearing of a related case on July 3. Trinamool has won 90 per cent of the rest of the seats that did see voting. BJP has, however, made inroads in Purulia and Jhargram districts.
According to Trinamool, 14 people died in poll related violence. Opposition parties claim the figure is above 20.
Addressing a press meet in Kolkata today, BJP leader Rahul Sinha pointed to the fact that just yesterday, Trinamool MP and Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee had declared at a public meeting that he would make sure Purulia district would soon become opposition free.
"There is a lot of chatter about panchayat results in Purulia and Jhargram districts," Mr Banerjee had said while addressing a meeting to protest fuel prices. "I will go to Purulia on June 1 and ensure Purulia becomes opposition free, I promise you that," he said.
Several requests for a response to the Purulia murder to Mr Banerjee and Trinamool secretary general Partha Chatterjee went unanswered.