BJP worker found dead at Dinhata, party workers clash with police

A local BJP leader was on Wednesday found hanging in the groundfloor corridor of a veterinary hospital here triggering protests across Coochbehar district in poll-bound West Bengal, police said.

BJP Dinhata Town mandal president Amit Sarkar did not return to his home on Tuesday night and his body was found hanging outside the balcony of Dinhata Animal Hospital on Wednesday morning, the police said.

The local BJP claimed that TMC was behind the killing.

The BJP workers staged agitations by burning tyres, blocking roads and vandalizing a number of TMC party offices in the area.

When the police tried to disperse the agitators and take the body for post mortem, there was a clash with the saffron party workers.

The police resorted to baton charge to disperse the mob, who brickbatted the force.

There were complaints of a number of media persons being assaulted by the protestors.

Local TMC MLA Udayan Guha staged a dharna outside the local police station to protest against the attacks on the party's offices.

A huge police contingent and rapid action force (RAF) were sent to the spot to control the situation Central Armed Paramilitary Forces and the police have been deployed in various parts of Dinhata town to maintain peace in the area, officials said.

BJPs national IT Cell in-charge Amit Malviya tweeted about the incident Amit Sarkar, mandal president of Dinhata Town, was hanged (sic) to death by TMC goons, just 72 hours before the first phase (of polling). Is this what TMC meant by Khela Hobe? "Bengal has been reduced to a blood field with political killings becoming the norm. BJP has lost over 130 of its cadres, he said.

TMC leader Rabindranath Ghosh denied the allegations as baseless.

"The allegations are baseless and politically motivated to malign us," the north Bengal development minister said.

Election for the 294 West Bengal assembly seats will begin on March 27. Dinhata goes to the poll in the fourth phase on April 10.