One person was killed allegedly in a clash between BJP workers and the police in West Bengal’s Siliguri on Monday afternoon after the party’s supporters were stopped from taking out a protest march.
The BJP claimed that Ulen Roy succumbed to his injuries after he was beaten by the police, but the administration claimed he was never hit by the police. Roy, a resident of Gajoldoba in Jalpaiguri, was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead.
Speaking to the media persons, state BJP president Dilip Ghosh, said, “Our party worker Ulen Roy was killed by the police. Tomorrow we have called for a 12-hour bandh in North Bengal. There are multiple pellet injuries on his chest.”
TMC Leader Gautam Deb rubbished the allegations and alleged that it was BJP workers who created the problem.
He said, “They attacked the police force. They hurled glass bottles aiming at the cops. They vandalised private and government. Don’t you think this is hooliganism? They are trying to create an atmosphere to implement the President’s Rule in the state. This is their dirty politics ahead of the 2021 assembly polls.”
The clash occurred as the BJP workers crossed the barricades erected to stop the ‘Utttarkanya’ rally in Siliguri, a march to the north Bengal secretariat to protest against the TMC’s misrule.
After the BJP supporters crossed the first two lines of barricades on NH-31, the police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd and the protesters retaliated by pelting bricks at the police and setting the barricades on fire.
As many as 40 BJP workers and a number of police personnel have been injured in the incident.
I am informed by our local karyakartas that Sri Ulen Roy, a senior BJP karyakarta, has succumbed to splinter injuries caused by the country bombs that Mamata’s police threw.This is murder. Nothing less.
We are very angry. We will never forgive you Mamata Di.
Om Shanti! pic.twitter.com/7xgZcKus4n
— Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) December 7, 2020
Lok Sabha MP Tejaswi Surya, who is the national president of the BJP’s youth wing, had arrived in Siliguri for the Uttarkanya rally. All 7 MPs of the BJP in north Bengal were present for the rally, along with Kailash Vijayvargiya and Arvind Menon, the two state in-charges of the party.
BJP state chief Dilip Ghosh and MP Soumitra Khan were also involved in protests.
The police eventually resorted to lathi charge to disperse the protesters. BJP sources told PTI Vijayvargiya and Surya had to be escorted to their vehicles by their personal security guards. Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has been informed about the incident.
Earlier in the day, Dilip Ghosh was obstructed by police from entering a guest house in Siliguri. Ghosh had to wait several hours after he reached Siliguri early in the morning to enter the Central government guest house.
The rally was the BJP’s first major political activity in the region in recent months. Political analysts said the BJP wants to reassert its strength through this event in north Bengal where it seeks to win 50 of 54 Assembly seats.
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