Less than 48 hours remain before the sixth phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, and a woman BJP worker was killed in Nandigram, in the Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal. She was apparently a member of the Scheduled Caste.
Large-scale demonstrations by saffron party activists there on Thursday were sparked by her murder, according to police, as reported in various sections of the news. In Nandigram, saffron party workers blocked roads, set fire to tyres, and shuttered stores in protest of the death of a BJP woman worker.
Nandigram is home to Bengal’s opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari and is included in the Tamluk Lok Sabha constituency. Voting in the constituency is set for May 25.
Protesters claimed that Rathibala Arhi, a BJP worker in Sonachura village, was killed by criminals supported by the TMC.
Sanjay Rathibala, the son of Rathibala, and seven other people were hurt on Wednesday night when they were attacked by unknown attackers.
Authorities stated that a person was being held by police in relation to the alleged murder and that police, central forces, and RAF personnel stationed in the area had to resort to using a lathi-charge to disperse the crowd.
As part of the demonstration, the BJP declared a bandh in Nandigram, but a local leader said that the bandh was later called off.
“Last night, when local poll campaigns came to an end, Rathibala and a few other party employees were assigned to watch over a nearby polling place. Criminals backed by the TMC attacked them,” said Meghnadh Paul, the general secretary of the BJP district, adding that, “She was murdered and others were left seriously injured.”
Sanjay’s condition became “very critical” and he was moved to a city hospital, according to Paul, who also mentioned that other patients are receiving care at a nearby hospital.
Leader of the Nandigram TMC Swadesh Das refuted the accusations, saying, “There were some family disputes and the killing could be connected to it.”
The murder turned into a political soap opera in which the TMC and the BJP blamed one another.
