KOLKATA: Two days after the murder of Trinamool Congress MLA Satyajit Biswas, another party leader in West Bengal, who was allegedly involved in the ruckus during BJP president Amit Shah’s rally at Kanthi last month, was found dead at Dadpur in Hooghly district on Monday morning.
Ritesh Roy was TMC president of three gram panchayat samitis in Kanthi in the Purba Medinipur district. Said to be close to transport minister and party strongman Suvendu Adhikari, Ritesh had been missing since February 7.
A deep black mark was found around his neck, making the police suspect that he might have been strangled to death using a rope. The body has been sent for autopsy.
His wife Mahua Roy said Ritesh left his house at Chandberia village in Purba Medinipur on February 7 saying he was going to Kolaghat in the same district, but called up at 9 pm to say that he was off to Malda with a friend.
The family filed a missing complaint at Marishda police station on February 9.The TMC has pointed a finger at the BJP for the suspicious death. “The BJP has conspired to kill him,” said Purba Medinipur TMC secretary Kanishka Panda. Refuting his allegations, BJP’s Kanthi mandal chief Mahesh Sur said: “The BJP will never do such a thing. This might be a conspiracy of TMC leaders in Kanthi or a case of infighting.”
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee visited the family of slain Krishnaganj MLA Satyajit Biswas and promised to drag BJP leader Mukul Roy, who was booked in the case a day ago, and others to jail, if proven guilty.
Without naming Roy, who was one of the founders of Trinamool Congress before switching to the BJP last year, Banerjee, the president of TMC youth wing and Daimond Harbour MP, said: “If someone is thinking he will conspire the murder of Satyajit Biswas and get saved by hanging on to the pyjamas of Delhi leaders, I assure that if and when proven guilty, we will hold him by his collar and drag him to jail.”
Ruling out TMC infighting behind the murder, Banerjee alleged that Sujit Mondal and Kartik Mondal, also booked in the case, were BJP workers. Food Minister Jyotipriya Mullick and Bangaon MP and Matua leader Mamata Thakur also blamed the BJP.