Blame game over BJP worker's death in West Bengal

A blame game has erupted in West Bengal over the killing of a BJP worker in the Kankinara area of North 24 Parganas district, with BJP alleging that the TMC was behind the murder.

The Trinamool Congress has termed the allegation as baseless.

BJP worker Chandan Shaw was shot dead at Bhatpara on Sunday night, police said, adding that one person has been arrested in this connection.

Clashes have since been reported from Bhatpara and Kakinara areas, which fall under the Barrackpore Lok Sabha seat, where the BJP's Arjun Singh defeated Dinesh Trivedi of the TMC.

Singh said the victim was a BJP worker, and alleged that TMC goons were behind his killing.

"Since the beginning of the election, the TMC has been terrorising BJP workers. It had set our (BJP) party offices on fire and beat up our party workers. Now it has started killing our workers. But such killings won't stop the victory march of the BJP," he said.

Asked who might be responsible, Singh said an FIR has been lodged by the victim's family and the identity of the killers would be revealed after arrests are made.

The Trinamool Congress leadership, however, termed the allegations as baseless and claimed that its party offices have been taken over by Arjun Singh's men in Kakinara.

"TMC supporters are being driven away from their houses in the area," TMC North 24 Parganas district president and minister Jyotipriyo Mullick said.

Police personnel have been deployed in the area to control the situation.

"The allegations are completely baseless. BJP men are beating up our party workers. Hundreds of them have been rendered homeless since the announcement of the results," Mullick said.

"This incident is a result of intra-party rivalry," district-level TMC leader Nirmal Ghosh said.

The TMC will conduct a peace rally in Barrackpore this Saturday, Mullick said.

Violent incidents have been reported from across the state since the Lok Sabha poll results were announced.

Two people have been killed and many injured in the clashes that broke out between the two parties since the Lok Sabha results were declared, officials said.

A 23-year-old BJP worker was shot dead in Nadia district's Chakdaha town Friday and the saffron party alleged that TMC men were behind the incident.