Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manish Shukla died in a private hospital on EM Bypass in Kolkata on Sunday night, less than three hours after being shot in the back and upper torso in Titagarh, in the north of 24 Parganas.
The assailants arrived on motorcycles and their faces were covered with masks, said BJP workers present at the scene. Two BJP workers were also injured.
Shukla, who defected from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) two years ago, was a popular organizational leader. The news of his death caused tension in much of the Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency, of which Titagarh is a part.
Shukla was shot not far from the Titagarh police station and sophisticated weapons were used, alleged Arjun Singh, a deputy from BJP’s Barrackpore Lok Sabha, who also defected from the TMC in 2018.
“We were on a show together earlier in the evening. He was attacked after returning to his office, ”Singh said. “The police were behind the attack. We saw more than eight gunshot wounds to his body. I’m also a target, ”Singh said while making the accusations.
Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar addressed the issue and summoned the Interior Secretary and the Director General of Police to Raj Bhawan at 10 am on Monday.
“ACS Home @MamataOfficial and DGP @WBPolice have been summoned at 10 am tomorrow in the wake of the worsening law and order situation that led to the cowardly murder of Manish Shukla, Titagarh Township Councilor at the party office political, ”Dhankhar tweeted at 11:40 pm.
“Shukla was killed. We demand an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the role of the police. Arjun Singh’s life is also in danger. Mamata Banerjee cannot rule the state with terror, ”said BJP National Secretary General Kailash Vijayvargiya, who was in Kolkata.
TMC’s Panihati lawmaker Nirmal Ghosh said the ruling party had no role in the attack. “This is a consequence of the rivalry within the BJP,” he said.
The BJP National Secretary Arvind Menon, who was also in Calcutta, rushed to the hospital with the senior leaders.
Barrackpore Police Commissioner Manoj Verma deployed a Rapid Action Force (RAF) to the streets in light of the tension. “We cannot say anything without conducting a proper investigation,” he said.
BJP workers set up a blockade on BT Road, demanding the arrest of the culprits. The party also announced a 12-hour bandh along the entire stretch from Kanchrapara to Titagarh on Monday.
Shukla was also an outgoing councilor for Titagarh Township, where the term of the elected civic body ended. Elections are scheduled in around 110 civic organizations in the state.
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