BJP calls for bandh in north Bengal to protest against teen’s death

Kolkata: The BJP has called for a 12-hour shutdown on Friday in north Bengal alleging ‘atrocities on tribal community’.

The ‘bandh’ comes against the backdrop of the death of a teenage girl at Kaliaganj in Uttar Dinajpur district last week.

The shutdown is likely to encompass the districts of Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Darjeeling, Uttar Dinajpur, Dakshin Dinajpur and Malda that make up north Bengal.

Reacting to the bandh, ruling Trinamool Congress accused the BJP of ‘vulture politics’ alleging that the saffron party was ‘trying to politicize and communalise the teen’s death’, according to NDTV.

The Calcutta High Court asked for a progress report on the investigation into the teen’s death, alongside directing the force to submit the postmortem report, case diary and FIR by May 2.

The court asked the police to make available the FIR and postmortem report to the girl’s family, who have approached the court seeking investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Nevertheless media reports on Tuesday said Kaliaganj is peaceful, the BJP claimed that one person was killed in police firing; however the police made no statement regarding this.

BJP MP Debasree Choudhury told reporters that a BJP worker, who was protesting against the alleged rape and murder of the teen, was shot dead by the police, NDTV reported.

Debasree Choudhury further alleged that BJP workers are being continually arrested after the Ram Navami violence.

She asked Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to take responsibility for the Kaliaganj incident alleging that it happened because of her failures.

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