In shocking news, Manish Shukla, who is a BJP leader from Kolkata, was shot dead on Sunday evening. Mr. Shukla was brutally attacked by unknown miscreants on a motorbike close to the Titagarh police station.
Following the unexpected attack, protests have erupted in the district and State capital Kolkata. The BJP has called for a 12-hour bandh (shutdown) in the Barrackpore area, blaming the ruling Trinamool Congress for the murder.
However, the Trinamool Congress has denied the allegations and blamed the incident on an internal feud within the BJP. Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, who condemned the incident in a late night tweet, has summoned the DGP (Director general of police) and home secretary to the Raj Bhavan at 10 am.
According to eyewitness accounts, unidentified men on motorcycles suddenly drove up to Manish Shukla, a member of the BJP’s Barrackpore organisational district committee and a former councilor, and riddled him with bullets.
It has been reported that he was shot in the head, chest and his back killing him on the spot. He was rushed to a private hospital in Barrackpore and then Kolkata where doctors declared brought dead on arrival.
However, the West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Tuesday arrested two persons in this case. The accused, identified as Mohammad Khurram and Gulab Sheikh, were remanded to police custody for 14 days.
The police said they suspect Shukla’s killing was a “murder for revenge”. An official added, “Two have been arrested, investigation is on. Motive seems to be a personal rivalry or revenge, however it’s too early to say anything.”
BJP general Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya described Manish Shukla as “a close associate of BJP’s Barrackpore MP Arjun Singh” and blamed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for his death.
“We have no faith on the police. As the killing happened in front of the police station, there has to be some link. There should be a CBI probe into it. Arjun Singh had said earlier his life and those of his associates were in danger,” he said.
“I regret Mamta Banerjee that you are resorting to such tactics. The people will never forgive you,” he added.
