Member of the BJP's youth wing found dead...
Kolkata: On Friday morning, 06 May 2022, a BJP worker was found dead in mysterious circumstances in Kolkata hours before Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to the city. The death has become the latest flashpoint in Bengal, where the ruling Trinamool Congress and the BJP accuse each other of violence and killings.
Arjun Chowrasia, a member of the BJP's youth wing, was found hanging in an abandoned building near his home in north Kolkata. He was to lead a bike rally later today in one of the events planned for Amit Shah's welcome. The BJP has alleged that he was murdered by the ruling Trinamool Congress, which has strongly denied it.
"Arjun Chowrasia, 27, BJYM Mondal Vice-President, North Kolkata was brutally slaughtered and hanged. This continuous slaying of opponent political workers highlights the demise of democracy in West Bengal. 57 BJP workers were massacred in the last year. Humanity is smothered by the TMC!" - The BJP's Bengal Team said in a tweet.
Senior Bengal BJP leader Rahul Sinha said the man was murdered on the orders of top Trinamool leaders because of the Amit Shah visit. "Our worker Arjun Chowrasia was murdered and hanged in the same Trinamool-style only because Home Minister Amit Shah's programmes are scheduled today. It's not only lower level TMC leaders who are involved in this incident but even the top leadership is involved," he said.
Mamata Banerjee's party denied the charge. "The allegations against us are baseless. Let the police investigate the matter," said Trinamool MP Santanu Sen.
Amit Shah, who is on a two-day visit to West Bengal, will visit Arjun Chowrasia's home this afternoon, reports say.
The BJP said it was cancelling all welcome events for Amit Shah because of the party worker’s death. The Home Minister asked his party to cancel the planned welcome at the airport.
Amit Shah is visiting Kolkata for the first time since the BJP lost the Bengal election in 2021.
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