West Bengal: Violence Erupts In Nandigram As BJP Worker Murdered Ahead of Lok Sabha Voting

Bhartiya Janta Party's woman worker was killed in Nandigram following which the saffron party’s workers held a massive protest in the region.

Bhartiya Janta Party woman worker, Rathibala Arhi (38) was killed in Nandigram, West Bengal on Thursday, following which the saffron party’s workers held a massive protest as they burnt tyres, blocked roads and forcibly shut down many shops in the region. The area comes under Tamluk Constituency and the Lok Sabha elections are scheduled for May 25 in the sixth phase. 

The protestors are alleging that this is an action by TMC-backed criminals. A local BJP leader mentioned that the saffron camp initially called for a bandh in Nadigram as part of their protest but later retracted it, reported PTI. 

Police stated that they deployed a large contingent of police and RAF in the area to control the rioting mob. No arrests related to the alleged murder have occurred yet. 

Arhi, a party worker in Sonachura village was killed and several others were injured after unidentified assailants on motorcycles, armed with weapons, attacked resulting in her death and injuries to several others. 

As per PTI’s report quoting BJP’s district general secretary Meghnadh Paul, “Arhi and several other party workers were tasked with the job of guarding a local polling booth last night after poll campaigns in the area ended for the day. TMC-backed criminals attacked them. She was murdered and others were left badly injured.” 

Paul added that one of the seven injured people had a critical condition and was taken to a hospital in Kolkata.  

The leader of the TMC in Nandigram, Swadesh Das, refuted the accusations, saying that the killing could be the consequence of some family disputes.