'TMC blaming BJP for Satyajit Biswas' death on directions of Mamata'

BJP leader Mukul Roy on Sunday claimed that allegations were being levelled on his party over TMC legislator Satyajit Biswas's death based on directions issued by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

"In the entire state of West Bengal, when anybody is killed by their own people or by other miscreants, the TMC government tries to implicate that it is by leaders and workers of BJP. I demand a probe by an independent agency (over Biswas' death). Mamata Banerjee is scared of us. It is on orders of Mamata that allegations are being levelled against the BJP for this murder," Roy, who quit TMC in 2017 and joined the BJP, told ANI.

Two persons have been arrested in connection with the killing of Biswas, police said on Sunday.

A Trinamool legislator from Krishnagunj in Nadia district, Biswas was shot dead by unidentified assailants last evening at Phulbari in Jalpaiguri. The incident happened when Biswas was attending Saraswati Puja celebrations at Phulbari.

According to reports, the lawmaker was shot multiple times from a close range when he was coming down the stage after attending the event.

Gauri Shankar Dutta, TMC's district president alleged that BJP leaders conspired to kill Biswas as he defeated the BJP candidate twice by a huge margin.

"Satyajit Biswas was BJP's target for a very long time. He had been a preventive wall of the attempts of Mukul Roy and Soumitra Thakur for movement of 'Matua' votes to BJP. The murder of Biswas is the handiwork of Mukul Roy. He is touring these days across the area to strengthen the BJP. He is the conspirator. Roy had earlier lashed out at Satyajit. We will fight it (the murder case) and ensure that justice is served," Dutta said. He added: "BJP is playing politics of bloodshed in the state."

Nadia district Zila Parishad member, Santosh Kumar Guha said, "Satyajit Biswas was a good person. We doubt if he had any enemy. Political parties like BJP have always been thinking of removing Satyajit from here, so maybe someone from BJP must have killed him."

However, BJP denied all the allegations and said that the factional feud of the ruling party was behind the attack.

BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said, "This is utterly tragic. This shows even lawmakers of the ruling party are not safe in the total lawlessness of Mamata Banerjee's Bengal. In the last few months, each time a TMC leader or a supporter is killed, they blame our party. How can the BJP kill a TMC MLA? Our security itself is in question."

"We would like to tell the central government that this is the situation in Bengal that even a ruling party lawmaker is not safe. How will the Trinamool Congress government protect the people of the state? People in the state are living at the behest of God," Ghosh posted a video on his Twitter handle.