BJP worker's body found inside party office in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas dist; woman arrested
Kolkata: A BJP worker was found dead inside the party office at Usthi in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district, media reports said.
The victim has been identified as Prithviraj Naskar, who managed the party's social media accounts in the district, PTI reported.
The BJP has accused the Trinamool Congress (TMC), however, the police said the matter could be personal.
His blood-soaked body was found at the party’s office on Friday night, police said, adding that a woman has been arrested in connection with the killing, according to the report.
Naskar’s family members said that he had been missing since November 5.
A senior police officer said the arrested woman confessed to having hit Naskar with sharp weapons, resulting in his death.
According to police, the arrested woman has confessed to having hit Naskar with a sharp weapon.
"We are exploring the angle of the deceased having been involved in a relationship and any quarrel with the arrested person," he was quoted as saying by PTI.
According to the officer, a police team forced entry by breaking open the front door and an internal collapsible gate at the party office, where they discovered the body. The suspected attacker likely fled through a back door.
After initial investigations and mobile tracking, police detained a woman from a nearby area. During questioning, she admitted to the crime, the officer reported.
Police are now probing whether she had any accomplices, he added.
The BJP blamed the ruling TMC for the incident, prompting a response from the party. BJP State President Sukanta Majumdar alleged that local TMC activists were responsible for Naskar’s murder to intimidate BJP supporters in the region.
In a post on X, Majumdar said, “Our fight will continue until justice is served and the killers of martyr Prithviraj are brought to light. BJP remains resolute in ending the bloodthirsty and oppressive rule of CM Mamata Banerjee in Bengal.”
The BJP state unit alleged in another X post that the party's district social media convenor was abducted, tortured and murdered by TMC "goons".
“The police ignored his family's desperate pleas for help,” it claimed.
Senior TMC leader and former Rajya Sabha MP Kunal Ghosh alleged that the BJP is aware of the actual circumstances surrounding Naskar's death but is spreading false accusations to implicate the TMC. In a post on X, Ghosh suggested that there are reports of Naskar having conflicts with multiple individuals.
He noted that the nature of some injuries on Naskar’s body indicated deep animosity from the attacker and expressed confidence that investigators would explore all potential motives.
Meanwhile, Naskar’s father claimed that his son had angered certain local TMC members and the police by displaying placards during the recent Durga Puja festival, demanding justice for the RG Kar hospital victim.
"My son was warned of dire consequences by local TMC leaders for organising protests on the RG Kar issue during the festive season," the father said.