BJP Leader Shot Dead In West Bengal’s Barrackpore; Party Blames Trinamool

Kolkata: BJP leader Manish Shukla was shot dead about 20 kilometres away from north Kolkata on Sunday evening. The leader was talking with some locals and party workers near a police station when he was shot. BJP blamed Trinamool Congress for the killing.

The Trinamool Congress refuted murder charges and blamed the incident on BJP’s internal feud.

To protest the killing, a 12-hour bandh has been called out by the saffron party in the Barrackpore area on Monday.

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, who is at loggerheads with the state government, condemned the incident via a tweet and summoned the DGP (Director General of police) and home secretary to the Raj Bhavan at 10 am.

Several men on motorcycles suddenly drove near Manish Shukla, who is a member of the BJP’s Barrackpore organisational district committee and a former councillor, and shot him in the head, chest and back, as per the eyewitnesses.

He was rushed to a private hospital in Barrackpore and then to Kolkata but his life couldn’t be saved.

BJP General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya blamed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for Shukla’s death.

“We have no faith on the police. As the killing happened in front of the police station, there has to be some link. There should be a CBI probe into it. Arjun Singh had said earlier his life and those of his associates were in danger,” said Vijayvargiya.

“I regret Mamata Banerjee that you are resorting to such tactics. The people will never forgive you,” he added.