West Bengal: ‘Accidental’ gunshot kills BJP youth leader in North Dinajpur

MALDA: A 32-year-old BJP Yuva Morcha leader died of a gunshot wound near his Itahar home in North Dinajpur late on Sunday, sparking a political blame game in the district. While the BJP sees “a Trinamool conspiracy” in Mithun Ghosh’s death, the Trinamool Congress has denied the allegation.
Police have arrested one person, but maintain there is “no political overtone” in the death.The BJP has called an eight-hour bandh in North Dinajpur on Tuesday.
The deceased had dinner at a restaurant with two acquaintances, Sukumar Ghosh and Santosh Mahanto, earlier in the evening and then around 10pm all three went to Mithun’s home where he apparently wanted to show the firearms he had recently procured. One of the guns went off by accident and Mithun took a bullet in the stomach, police said. His cousin Ajit Ghosh rushed him to Raiganj hospital, where doctors pronounced him brought dead.
“We have arrested Mahanto and are looking for Sukumar,” SP Arsh Verma said and added, “There is no political overtone here. It was an accidental firing.”
Bengal BJP president and Balurghat MP Sukanta Majumdar refused to buy the police version of the incident. “I knew Mithun Ghosh as an active organiser in my constituency. He had been facing threats from Trinamool since the assembly polls. He did not cower under threats. I fear a conspiracy behind his death,” Majumdar said.
The MP also alleged that police hurriedly recorded the statement of Ajit and didn’t speak to parents of the deceased. “We have information that local Trinamool goon Kasem Ali was with Mithun last night. Ali has gone underground since. Police didn’t utter his name. We want all the culprits to be arrested. We may move the high court, if need be, for a CBI inquiry,” Majumdar said.
Majumdar also pointed a finger at local Trinamool MLA Mosharraf Hossain, who denied the charge. “It is a proven fact that BJP leaders store firearms in their houses. This death has no connection with Trinamool. Police are out to arrest the culprits,” Hossain said.