The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday directed that a second post-mortem of deceased Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker Bijaykrishna Bhuniya be conducted.
The BJP worker was allegedly killed at Moyna in West Bengal’s Purba Medinipur district in the early hours of Tuesday and the family members approached Calcutta High Court demanding an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the murder. Lakhi Bhuniya, wife of the deceased who was present on the premises of Calcutta High Court, alleged that her husband was killed by Trinamool Congress supporters.
Justice Rajasekhar Mantha of the Calcutta High Court directed that the post-mortem will be held at Kolkata’s Command Hospital and a medical board will oversee the procedure. The Court also directed that the family members of the deceased will be provided security by Central Armed Police Forces for the next four weeks.
12-hour bandh
Meanwhile, shops and commercial establishments remained shut in Moyna in State’s Purba Medinipur district in the wake of a 12-hour bandh called by the BJP leadership in protest against the murder. BJP leaders organised protests including road blockades at several places in Purba Medinipur district. At certain places, the police resorted to baton charges to disperse the BJP supporters. BJP leaders including Moyna BJP MLA Ashok Dinda and BJP national vice president Dilip Ghosh were among the leaders who participated in the protest against the killing of the BJP worker.
Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari welcomed the order and said the deceased was from the Scheduled Caste community and the High Court had directed the police to file cases under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Mr. Adhikari said that despite the family approaching the court demanding a CBI probe on Tuesday, the post-mortem was conducted hurriedly at the behest of the Purba Medinipur district police. Mr. Adhikari said on Wednesday that there would be a mass gathering at Moyna against the killing of Bijaykrishna Bhuniya.
Three BJP supporters killed
State BJP leadership have alleged that in the past seven days, three BJP supporters have been killed. Mrityunjay Barman, 33, a Rajbangshi youth, was killed at Kaliaganj on April 27. According to family members, the youth was shot by the police when policemen arrived to arrest his father.
Kaliaganj has been on the boil during the last week of April over the unnatural death of a 17-year-old girl from the Rajbangshi community. Family members of Mrityunjay Barman have also approached Calcutta High Court demanding an investigation by the CBI into the murder.
On April 29, Rajendra Shaw, a BJP leader, was shot dead on National Highway-19 under Jamuria police station in Asansol. According to State BJP president Sukanta Majumdar, who met the family members of Bijaykrishna Bhuniya during the day, 11 party supporters have been killed so far during the run-up to the panchayat polls.
Political violence between political parties and factions of the Trinamool Congress has emerged as a challenge for the West Bengal ruling establishment in the third term of the Trinamool government.
While the BJP leadership was raising pitch over the murder of their party supporter, the women’s wing of Trinamool Congress sat on a protest in Kolkata against the Centre’s “deliberate deprivation” of the State including non-payment of funds to central schemes. State Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya and Kolkata South MP Mala Roy are among the Trinamool leaders who participated in the dharna.
