Following the death of a 22-year-old BJP booth president, Rajib Biswas, in Baruipur in the South 24 Parganas district, a political firestorm has erupted in West Bengal. The BJP claims that he was murdered by supporters of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).
Local TMC Councillor Archana Mallick has strongly denied the BJP’s allegations, calling the incident a “family dispute” with which the TMC has no connection. While police have arrested the victim’s father and brother, citing a family dispute, the BJP has submitted a viral video as evidence and is demanding a central agency probe.
The incident reportedly took place on the night of August 8 in Ward No. 15 of the Baruipur municipality. Biswas, the president of booth number 129 of Baruipur West, was allegedly attacked with bamboo poles and stabbed multiple times. He was left severely injured and was later taken to Baruipur Subdistrict Hospital on August 9, where doctors declared him brought dead.
A video purportedly showing the assault has gone viral on social media. The footage shows two men brutally beating a youth with bamboo sticks while two others stand by. The BJP claims Biswas was also set ablaze.
BJP leader Sankudeb Panda alleged that TMC workers targeted Biswas following an altercation over placing flags and festoons of Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari. Panda further claimed that Biswas’s father and brother, who are active TMC workers, orchestrated the attack with the help of two local TMC workers because Biswas had joined the BJP. The two other attackers seen in the video are still at large, according to the BJP.
Panda has also alleged that the police are trying to “hush up” the matter by framing it as a family dispute. The BJP submitted the video as evidence to the Baruipur police station on Saturday, August 24, and had earlier informed the court about the footage on August 19
She stated that neither the deceased nor the arrested individuals are associated with her party. “The assembly elections are next year, so the BJP is trying to take advantage of this situation,” she said. Mallick also claimed that the two individuals seen in the video are not residents of her ward and are not connected to the TMC.
Pratap Sengupta, Additional Superintendent of Police of Baruipur district, confirmed that the victim’s father and brother have been arrested. He stated that the police are examining the video footage and interrogating the arrested individuals. The police have also issued a notice to the person who allegedly recorded the video, asking her to submit the footage.
The investigation is ongoing, and the conflicting claims from the political parties and the police have heightened tensions in the area. The BJP continues to demand the arrest of the other two people seen in the video and a thorough, impartial investigation.