Body of 19-year-old BJP worker body found hanging from tree in Bengal

Representational Image

Kolkata: Police on Sunday found the dead body of a 19-year-old Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker hanging from a tree in West Midnapore district's Pingla on Sunday. The family members of the deceased blamed the state's ruling party Trinamool Congress for the alleged murder.

"The body of Pintu Manna (19), a resident of Pingla's Narangdighi, was found hanging from a tree near his residence on Sunday morning. The body has been recovered and sent for autopsy," the police said the news agency IANS.

Following the incident, BJP supporters conducted a protest in the area on Sunday. They blamed the local Trinamool Congress for backing miscreants of murdering Manna for supporting the saffron party.

Reportedly, the BJP supporters said that Manna was killed and his body was later hung to make it look like a suicide.

"Our boy left his uncle's house in the neighbouring village at around 10.30 p.m. yesterday after having dinner there. But he never reached home. A around 11 p.m., a local, who was passing by the area, saw a body hanging from the tree with a cotton towel tightly wrapped around his face. He informed the rest of the villagers. When police came down and recovered the body, we found out that it was him," a relative of Manna said.

"We suspect that the workers of the ruling party (Trinamool) are involved in the killing. It was a well-planned murder," he added.

Trinamool leaders, however, denied the allegation and said that the BJP was trying to give the death a "political colour".

"The youth committed suicide and the BJP is trying to add political colour. They do the same whenever something like this happens," said Sheikh Sabrati, TMC's Pingla block president.

With inputs from IANS

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get the latest updates