While TMC’s Anupam Dutta was shot at from a close range by unidentified motorcycle-borne youths, Congress’ Tapan Kandu was murdered by unidentified assailants in Jhalda municipality of Purulia district
Representational image. News18 Hindi
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday staged a demonstration on the steps of the Legislative Assembly and demanded immediate action against those responsible for the death of the TMC and Congress councillors who were killed on Sunday.
During the Zero Hour, Siliguri’s BJP MLA Shankar Ghosh demanded answers from West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee over the incidents, following which the saffron party legislators staged a walkout from the House.
Ghosh demanded a proper and quick investigation into the matter, and immediate arrest of the culprits. He wondered whether the killings have any connection with the ongoing selection of the chairman of various civic bodies in the state.
BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul said, “The law and order situation in West Bengal is alarming. It is evident from the killing of the councillors. We demand that the chief minister, who also holds the home portfolio, gives answers in the Assembly. She must explain the cause behind the failure in maintaining law and order in our state. This can’t go on.”
The incident
Two elected councillors of the TMC and Congress were shot dead in separate incidents in Panihati and Jhalda areas of West Bengal on Sunday.
Anupam Dutta, the TMC councillor of ward number eight of Panihati Municipality in North 24 Parganas district, was shot at from a close range by unidentified motorcycle-borne youths while he was visiting a park on North Station Road in Agarpara in the evening, a police officer said.
The councillor sustained serious head injuries and was rushed to a private hospital in the area where doctors declared him brought dead, he said, adding that a police contingent has been deployed as the situation was tense.
In Jhalda municipality of Purulia district, four-time Congress councillor Tapan Kandu was shot dead by unidentified assailants, another police officer said.
The councillor was shot at by three motorcycle-borne youths when he went for a walk near his residence in ward number two in the evening, he said.
Kandu, who slumped to the ground, was lifted by locals even as the assailants escaped the spot. He was rushed to a private hospital in Ranchi in neighbouring Jharkhand, where doctors declared him brought dead.
Kandu had won from ward number two of Jhalda Municipality for the fourth time in last month’s civic polls and was a popular leader in the area, Congress sources said.
The verdict of the voters threw a hung board after recent polls in Jhalda municipality, with the Congress and Trinamool Congress having won five seats each and independents securing two seats.
In Panihati, TMC secured a majority by bagging 33 of the 35 wards.
Naihati’s TMC MLA Partha Bhowmick said, “Anupam Dutta was a popular figure in the area and this was a pre-planned murder. I won’t immediately blame the BJP but this is true that he had defeated a big-shot of the saffron party in the area and earned their wrath.”
Purulia’s Congress leader Nepal Mahato said that the murder of his party councillor Tapan Kandu was political, and that he would be visiting the area soon.
Blame game
Soon after the incident, state Congress president Adhir Chowdhury said, “There is no democracy in West Bengal. Our elected representative Tapan Kandu was shot dead by TMC goons to stop Congress from forming the board in Jhalda. They have eliminated him to have an advantage in the hung board”. He is scheduled to visit Jhalda on Monday.
Meanwhile, the TMC has refuted the Congress leader’s charge. “We have also lost a councillor today. The Congress is holding us responsible for the death of their councillor. But our workers are not behind this incident. The police will definitely find out the real culprits,” said TMC leader Tapas Roy.
In case of Dutta’s death, TMC has accused local BJP MP Arjun Singh of being behind the killing. “The BJP, especially its MP Arjun Singh, is behind the killing. Today, we lost one of our leaders. I urge the police to investigate the murder and arrest the culprits,” TMC leader Partha Bhowmik said, according to Indian Express.
The BJP promptly denied the charge, blaming the murder on “internal feud” in the TMC. “The TMC won the Panihati municipality. There is no presence of BJP there. The incident is a fallout of their internal fight. They are trying to malign our image by making such baseless allegations,” BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said.
With inputs from agencies
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