BJP activists on Monday put up road blockades in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district as part of a 12-hour Barrackpore bandh called by the saffron party to protest the killing of its member. BJP workers burnt tyres and blocked major thoroughfares such as Barrackpore-Barasat Road and Kalyani Expressway, bringing traffic to a complete halt in the area. A large posse of policemen have been deployed at various places in Barrackpore where the protests are taking place, an official said.
According to the police, BJP leader and local councillor Manish Sukla was shot dead on Sunday by two bike-borne assailants near Titagarh. A BJP delegation led by party's national vice-president Mukul Roy went to Barrackpore to meet Sukla’s family members. The state BJP leadership has blamed the Trinamool Congress for the incident, but the ruling party has rubbished the accusation.
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"It is shameful that the TMC has now started politics of annihilation of political opponents. We don't have any faith in local police as this happened in front of the police station. We want a CBI inquiry," BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said.
Senior TMC leader Nirmal Ghosh said the incident was a result of infighting within the BJP and allegations against his party were baseless.
"We have started an investigation and will look at all possible angles," a senior police officer said.
The BJP has called for a 12-hour bandh in Barrackpore area on Monday in protest against the incident.
