BJP worker's 'custodial death' sparks war of words in West Bengal

The death of a BJP worker from West Bengal's Purba Medinipur district allegedly in police custody has triggered a war of words between the ruling TMC and the BJP, with the saffron party accusing the police of torturing its activist to death.

The allegation, however, has been denied both by the Trinamool Congress and the police.

The police said the BJP worker, identified as Madan Ghorai, was in judicial custody and was not in its custody as claimed by the saffron party.

The BJP, led by MP and the party's state general secretary Locket Chatterjee, organised a sit-in demonstration on the Central Avenue in Kolkata on Friday after its members were prevented by the police from conducting a protest march with Ghorai's body.

Ghorai was arrested in Patashpur in Purba Medinipur district on September 26 in connection with a kidnapping case. He was the BJP booth vice-president in the area.

"Madan Ghorai was arrested on September 26. He was produced before the court the next day and was sent to judicial custody at the Contai Correctional Home.

"On October 9, the Patashpur police station had said that Ghorai was not keeping well and is being transferred to a prison in Kolkata for better treatment. The local police had informed his family members about the development," a senior police officer said.

The Patashpur police station had received a message from a correctional home in Kolkata on October 13 that Ghorai had died at a hospital in the city, he said.

The state BJP, however, refused to buy the theory and demanded a CBI probe into the death.

They also moved the Calcutta High Court appealing for the re-postmortem of the body.

Ghorai's body was brought to the BJP state headquarters here, where party leaders paid their tributes.

"Every day, our party workers are being killed by TMC goons. We want Mamata Banerjee to come here and give an answer why our activists are being murdered. We don't have faith in the state administration. Only a CBI investigation can bring out the truth," Chatterjee said at the demonstration site.

A huge police contingent was rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control.

The TMC leadership, however, dismissed the allegations as "baseless" and "politically motivated".