BJP’s workers killed in West Bengal within 24 hours of the election result
Within few hours of results being disclosed of the Assembly election in West Bengal declaring TMC (Trinamool Congress) as winner, political violence erupted across the state. On Monday, at least eight people were reported killed across West Bengal.
BJP alleged that six of its workers were killed by “TMC goons” who also attacked and vandalized multiple party offices across the state in wake of election results. BJP’s candidate Suvendu Adhikari’s car was also attacked with his constituency Nandigram’s office also being ransacked. Adhikari defeated Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram. TMC has however, rejected all the allegations made by BJP and countered them with reporting one of its own worker being killed in Burdwan. Indian Secular Force (ISF) party that has aligned with Congress-Left alliance also reported one of its workers being killed in North 24 Parganas.
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By end of day multiple social media outlets reported BJP’s workers being killed across the state. BJP leader and former MP Swapan Dasgupta said in a tweet about “marauding mobs seeking to take it out against BJP supporters” and “reports of molestation or worse of women”. TMC MP Derek O’Brien said that violence is a result of intra-party fights in BJP. He tweeted, “BJP IT cell could have given trolls some time off after results. All cases on SM are BJP intra-party fights. Three+ factions in Bengal. They hate each other.”
Though the state police has not revealed exact number of casualties in the post result violence, Union Home Ministry has asked the state government to submit a detailed report on “post-poll violence targeting opposition political workers in the state.”
BJP has announced pan India dharna on May 5, coinciding with Mamata Banerjee’s oath-taking ceremony as Chief Minister of West Bengal. Party said that party president J P Nadda would be visiting the state on May 4-5 “in view of the widespread post-results retributive violence unleashed on BJP workers and supporters by criminal elements in the TMC cadre”.