'Power still not in BJP’s hands’: Dilip Ghosh reacts after Chandranath Rath's murder, says police targeting party workers

KOLKATA: With Chandranath Rath’s bullet-riddled body lying outside the hospital and grieving BJP workers erupting in anger and disbelief, senior BJP leader and newly-elected Kharagpur MLA Dilip Ghosh launched a blistering attack on the state police and the outgoing TMC accusing them of orchestrating targeted attacks on his party's cadre.While reacting to Suvendu Adhikari's close aide Chandranath Rath's murder, Gosh held the TMC establishment directly responsible for the violence.He said that though BJP has come to power, the power itself is not in its hands.Condemning the murder, Ghosh alleged that BJP workers continued to face violence and harassment despite the saffron party’s sweeping victory in the Bengal Assembly polls.“There was an attack on Suvendu Adhikari’s PA. It is extremely tragic. These incidents of violence must stop immediately,” Ghosh said.“BJP satta mein aa gayi hai, lekin satta abhi hamare haath mein nahi aayi hai. Kanoon vyavastha ya toh Mamata Banerjee ke haath mein hai, ya Election Commission ke haath mein, ya police ke haath mein,” Ghosh said.(“The BJP has come to power, but power has still not come into our hands. Law and order is either in Mamata Banerjee’s hands, or the Election Commission’s, or the police’s hands.”)Ghosh accused the police of failing to act despite allegedly knowing who the perpetrators were.“The police have been made so ineffective that even when they know everything, they remain silent. Anti-social elements active in politics must be stopped and sent to jail,” he said.He further alleged that BJP workers were continuing to face intimidation and victimisation even after the election verdict.“Even now, our old party workers are being harassed. The fight is happening between factions within the TMC, there is bloodshed, and yet the BJP is being blamed. We are still being subjected to atrocities. This is not right,” he added.The BJP MLA urged the police to function “openly, impartially and fairly” and demanded strict action against those involved in the killing.Rath, a former Indian Air Force personnel and one of Suvendu Adhikari’s most trusted political aides, was shot dead near Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas on Wednesday night after motorcycle-borne assailants allegedly intercepted his SUV and opened fire at point-blank range.Another aide, Buddhadeb Bera, sustained serious injuries in the attack and remains under treatment.The murder, which came less than 48 hours after the Assembly poll results, triggered massive outrage among BJP supporters, with protests erupting across parts of Bengal, including a highway blockade at Bhadutala in West Medinipur.Meanwhile, West Bengal Police have formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by the IG CID to probe the Madhyamgram killing. The team will include officers from CID, Intelligence Branch and the Bengal STF.Senior BJP leaders, including Suvendu Adhikari, Samik Bhattacharya, Sukanta Majumdar and Agnimitra Paul, have described the attack as a “targeted” and “pre-planned political assassination”, while the Trinamool Congress has denied the allegations and demanded a court-monitored CBI probe into the incident.