Four-member police team formed to look into BJYM activist's death

A four-member team has been constituted by the Kolkata Police to investigate the circumstances that led to the death of BJP youth wing activist Arjun Chaurasia, a senior officer said on Monday, three days after the saffron camp worker's body was found hanging at an abandoned building in the city’s Kashipur area.

The team, comprising officers of the detective department and the local police station, is currently trying to examine Chaurasia's cell phone.

"We are trying to unlock the phone and have sought help from his family members. Once the phone is unlocked, we will get several answers. We are also trying to get access to his email account," he said.

The senior officer said that CCTV footages gathered from the area are being looked into.

"We cannot talk much about it for now as the investigation is at a very nascent stage," he said.

Chaurasia's family members, meanwhile, said they have received a notice from the police, asking them to meet the investigating officers but that would be possible only after Tuesday, once all funeral rituals have been performed.

His mother and brother had earlier claimed that Chaurasia was threatened of dire consequences by unknown miscreants, shortly before he went missing on Thursday night.

They, however, did not say why he was threatened.

The BJYM activist’s death had triggered protests in parts of the state, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was in Bengal on a two-day visit, calling for a CBI inquiry into the case.

The post-mortem was conducted at Eastern Command Hospital in Alipore, a defence healthcare facility, in accordance with the directions of the Calcutta High Court.