BJP blames TMC for attack on RSS worker, demands immediate arrest of culprits

BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya on Tuesday demanded that those involved in the attack on an RSS worker here be arrested immediately and accused the TMC government of trying to shield the culprits in order to appease its minority vote bank.

RSS worker Bir Bahadur Singh was shot at in Garden Reach area of south-west Kolkata on Monday. Police are yet to identify those behind the incident.

The BJP alleged that the attack was a handiwork of Trinamool Congress workers and the police were trying to protect the culprits.

"It is evident that those who attacked Singh are being patronised by the state government and TMC for the sake of vote bank politics. This is the reason that even after 24 hours after the attack, not a single person has been arrested.

"This is a matter of shame. We demand immediate arrest of the culprits," Vijayvargia told reporters after visiting Singh's residence.

Singh is presently admitted in a state-run hospital. He was shot at by two bike-borne men around 10 am and was rushed to a hospital where he was undergoing treatment, police said.

"We are investigating the case," a police official said.

Singh is a well-known RSS functionary in the area.

RSS West Bengal secretary Jishnu Basu said Singh was an active member of the RSS and he was getting threats for running an RSS shakha in the area.

The TMC, however, has denied any involvement in the attack.

"The allegations against us are baseless. The attack is due to inner party rivalry. It has nothing to do with TMC," Senior TMC leader and minister Firhad Hakim said.