Tinsukia killings: WB BJP president writes to Rajnath

Following the killing of five Bengali speaking people in upper Assam’s Tinsukia, Dilip Ghosh, BJP's state president has written to Home Minister Rajnath Singh seeking a thorough probe into the incident.

The development comes at a time when the saffron party is being targeted by opposition parties including the Trinamool Congress (TMC) which has accused the ruling party at the Centre of being “anti-Bengali.”

“I have written to Home Minister Rajnath Singh regarding the Tinsukia incident. We (state BJP) have expressed our concern over the atrocities on Bengalis (in Assam),” Ghosh told DH.

The Bengal BJP president also said that he has sought “exemplary punishment” for those who are behind the killings. “I have urged the Home Minister to ensure that the culprits are arrested and brought to justice as soon as possible. I have also requested him to prevent the occurrence of such incidents in future,” said Ghosh.

As to how the Tinsukia incident will affect BJP’s recent campaign over the National Register of Citizens (NRC), Ghosh said that they will “intensify” the campaign.

Even as Ghosh sought to brush aside the allegations made against BJP by TMC as well as CPI(M) and Congress claiming that the Tinsukia killings were probably an outcome of NRC, state BJP sources said that the party leadership is "keeping an eye" of the matter.

“We are keeping an eye over the malicious politics over the Tinsukia incident by TMC and other opposition parties. Even as the incident has nothing to do with NRC, they are trying to politicise the matter,” a senior state BJP leader said.

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He also said that BJP will launch a “counter-campaigns" TMC’s allegations. “The incident took place in Assam. Why are they (TMC) indulging in politics over it West Bengal? We will reach out to people and ensure that they understand the need and benefits of NRC,” the BJP leader said.

Earlier West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had asked whether the killings of Tinsukia are an outcome of NRC following which TMC held large-scale protest demonstrations across the state. CPI(M) and Congress also targeted BJP over the killings.