Bengal's Nandigram tense following murder of woman BJP worker

Kolkata, May 23 (IANS) Tension has prevailed at Nandigram in the East Midnapore district of West Bengal following the recovery of a hacked body of a woman BJP worker.

A couple of other BJP supporters, who were also injured in the attack by unknown miscreants on early Thursday morning, have been admitted at a local hospital for treatment.

The incident took place just 48 hours before the sixth phase of Lok Sabha polls, with Nandigram being one of the seven assembly constituencies under Tamluk Lok Sabha which is among the eight Parliamentary constituencies in the state that will go to polls on May 25.

Suvendu Adhikari, leader of the opposition in the West Bengal assembly, is the MLA from Nandigram.

The deceased woman has been identified as Rotibala Ari, a resident of the Sonachura area in Nandigram.

The local BJP leadership claimed that in the wake of the elections, the local BJP supporters including women activists conduct night patrolling in the Sonachura area periodically to check anti-social elements during the polls.

According to the local BJP leader Meghnad Pal, in the wee hours of Thursday when a similar patrolling was going on, a group of unknown miscreants reached there on motorcycles and attacked the patrolling team with sharp weapons.

“In that attack, Rotibala was killed and her son, who was injured, is currently undergoing treatment at a local hospital. We strongly believe that these unknown miscreants were linked to the ruling Trinamool Congress,” Pal said.

The local leadership of the ruling party, however, has denied any association with the incident. No arrest or detention in the matter has been made so far.