Bengal: BJP claims its activist killed during clash with police in Siliguri, calls 12-hr bandh to protest

The party claimed that a 50-year-old BJP worker from Jalpaiguri's Gajoldoba, Ulen Roy, was seriously injured in a clash with police during its Uttar Kanya Cholo rally in Siliguri, and he was rushed to a local hospital where the man succumbed to his injuries.

BJP leaders also said that several activists, including women workers of the party, had been seriously injured in the clash, and many of them had been hospitalized.

Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh claimed that besides restoring to lathicharge, lobbing tear gas shells and using water cannons, police also fired rubber bullets and used pellet guns.

Ghosh also alleged that TMC workers were present there behind the police and they hurled crude bombs aiming at protesting BJP supporters.

National President of BJP Yuva Morcha, Tejasvi Surya, tweeted: "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."

According to sources, the authority of the hospital, where the BJP activist died, forwarded a medico-legal report to the NJP Police Station where it has been mentioned that multiple pellet injury marks were found on the chest and upper abdomen of the man.

Meanwhile, denying all allegations of BJP, West Bengal Police claimed that cops neither restored to lathicharge nor fired a single round of bullet.

"Today in Siliguri, serious acts of violence were committed by the supporters of a political party during their protest program. They resorted to arson, brick-batting, firing and vandalism of govt property. Police showed restraint and didn’t do lathicharge or used firearms. Only water cannons and tear gas were used to disperse the violent crowd," a WB Police statement said.

"However, the death of a person has been reported. Body is being sent for post mortem. The actual cause of death will be known only after the post mortem," the statement read.

Reacting on the issue, TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar tweeted, "We believe in peace and harmony. Every loss of life is sad. BJP are indulging in guns and goons politics."

"They carried arms/firearms, intentionally vandalising, instigating violence during a pandemic. They will even sink to the depths of ‘sacrificing’ the life of a worker for publicity," she wrote.