Another person found hanging in Purulia; triggers protests

The body of a 35-year-old man was today found hanging from a high-tension tower here, triggering protests by locals, police said.

The incident comes two days after the BJP claimed that its worker Trilochon Mahato (20), who was found hanging from a tree at Balarampur in the district on May 30, was killed by the TMC. However, the Trinamool Congress has denied the allegations and termed it as baseless.

The West Bengal government today ordered a criminal investigation department (CID) probe into Mahato's death, ADG law and order, Anuj Sharma said.

The body of Dulal Kumar was found hanging from a tree near a field in Dava village under the same police station area this morning, Purulia SP Joy Biswas told PTI.

Kumar's death triggered an uproar among the locals who put up demonstrations outside the Balarampur police station, demanding immediate arrest of the culprits.

"We are trying to find out the culprits and an investigation has been initiated. Our officers are there at the spot," Biswas said.

An unsigned handwritten note in Bengali, found near Mahato's body near his home in Balarampur, about 295 km from Kolkata, stated that he was "punished for working for the BJP" during the recent rural polls in the state, a senior district police officer had said.

No such note was found near the place where Kumar's body was found hanging, Biswas said.

Whether he was a member of the BJP or any other political outfit is yet to be ascertained, the SP said.

The saffron party held several rallies in New Delhi as well as in parts of the state to protest against the death of Mahato.

According to CID senior officials, possible involvement of people from the bordering state of Jharkhand would be probed.

"As it is a bordering district, there is a possibility of outsiders involved in the killing of Mohanto and Kumar. These killings could be a part of a conspiracy," a senior officer of the state CID told PTI.

Meanwhile, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O' Brien condemned the killings of the two youths and urged severe punishment for the culprits.

He demanded a detailed investigation into the matter and attacked the BJP.

He did not rule out the involvement of the BJP, the Bajrang Dal or the Maoists in the incident.

"We strongly condemn this despicable killings. All angles must be probed. The perpetrators of this heinous act must be punished. What role did Jharkhand border have to play? What elements of Bajrang Dal, Maoist or BJP involved? Let the truth be found out through proper investigation," O' Brien tweeted.

In Purulia, the TMC and the BJP had a close fight in the gram panchayats winning 839 and 645 seats respectively. Out of the 38 zilla parishad seats, the TMC had won 26 seats and BJP nine seats.