In a shocking incident, a BJP worker was killed and his body was found hanging on a tree in West Bengal’s Purulia.
LS poll campaign updates: BJP worker’s body found hanging from tree at Senabona village in West Bengal’s Purulia.https://t.co/PNAnNtLzw1 pic.twitter.com/g0qhi44AwY
— Zee News (@ZeeNews) April 18, 2019
The 22-year-old, Sishu Pal Shahish was the son of a BJP member of the local gram panchayat and was associated with BJP Youth Wing. This is the third such incident in West Bengal’s Purulia district. Prior to this, two BJP workers, Trilochan Mahto and Dulal Kumar had also gone missing from the same Balrampur area last year and were found murdered later. While Mahato’s body was hanging from a tree, that of Kumar was hanging from a high tension electric pole.
Meanwhile, reports have emerged that a reporter and photographer of a vernacular channel have also been beaten up at Goalpokhar in Raiganj PC. They were left bleeding till colleagues rescued them and took them to hospital. They went to a booth following allegations of voter intimidation.
Acts of savageness due to extreme animosity have become common in West Bengal under the TMC supremacy. BJP workers have in the past few months, succumbed to a string of brutal political murders and political rapes. Several incidents of violence were also reported in West Bengal during the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections which concluded on April 11.
Violence had been reported in the two constituencies, Cooch Behar and Alipurduar, that had gone to polls in the first phase of the elections.
Allegations had been flying and TMC and BJP had both accused each other of attacking workers of the opposite faction and preventing voters from registering their votes.
In certain booths, only TMC agents were present in clear violation of rules and regulations. The BJP had alleged that their agents were threatened the previous night and their homes were attacked. A BJP camp office had also been attacked.
West Bengal has a history of political violence prior to every such election. The Panchayat elections which concluded last year was also marred by widespread reports of violence, murder and even capturing of ballot boxes. Twenty people were injured in a low-intensity blast at a polling station in Cooch Behar district and several incidents of pre-poll violence were also reported. The run-up to the Panchayat polls had been a bloody one as well.
The General elections in West Bengal will be held in all the seven phases starting April 11, 2019. Results will be declared on May 23.
