The secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) local youth wing unit in Itahar, North Dinajpur district, north Bengal, died on Sunday night after being shot near his residence.
Mithun Ghosh, 32, died in the Raiganj Medical College and Hospital while being transported there.
While the state BJP leadership claimed that Ghosh was murdered by criminals backed by the Trinamool Congress (TMC), Santosh Mahato, a friend of Ghosh, was detained by the local police. Sukumar Ghosh, another associate of the victim, is being sought by the police.
Quoting Ajit Ghosh, a cousin of the deceased, Mohammed Sana Akhtar, superintendent of police, North Dinajpur district said, “Before his death, Mithun talked to his cousin and mentioned Sukumar Ghosh and Santosh Mahato.”
“Investigation has revealed that on Sunday night Mithun went out to have dinner with the two men at a hotel. After returning home around 10 pm, he took out two firearms from his room to show those to Ghosh and Mahato who were waiting outside the house. Ghosh accidentally fired a weapon and the bullet hit Mithun. Only one round was fired. Mahato was arrested on Monday morning while Ghosh is still at large. This incident is not related to politics in any way,” said Akhtar.
While he was being taken to court, Mahato told the media that he was present when Ghosh was shot. “Sukumar Ghosh fired the gun,” he told reporters.
Suvendu Adhikari, leader of the opposition in the state assembly, alleged that Mithun Ghosh was killed by criminals backed by the TMC.
The state BJP declared an eight-hour bandh in the North Dinajpur district on Tuesday. The victim’s sister, Pompi Mitra, also accused the ruling party.
“Local TMC leaders had been threatening my brother for a long time. They wanted him to leave the BJP,” she said.
Kanchana Ghosh, the victim’s mother, said, “My son’s life was in danger. He had many enemies. TMC workers had been threatening him.”
Pradip Sarkar, a senior BJP district leader, said, “This was not the first attempt on Mithun’s life. He was shot in the leg before the assembly polls. He was a dedicated leader.”
The superintendent of police however said the investigation did not reveal any political angle. “There is no political overtone whatsoever,” he said.
