Senior BJP leader Debendra Nath Ray, was found hanging near his home in Hemtabad area of North Dinajpur district on Monday morning.
Ray had contested and won the Hemtabad assembly segment -- a reserved seat for Scheduled Castes -- on a CPI(M) ticket but had switched over to the BJP last year after the Lok Sabha polls. He, however, did not resign as CPI(M) legislator in the state assembly.
However, BJP West Bengal claimed that he was "killed and then hung". "Body of Shri Debendra Nath Ray, BJP MLA from Hemtabad, a reserved seat, in Uttar Dinajpur, was found hanging like this in Bindal, near his village home. People are of the clear opinion that he was first killed and then hung. His crime? He joined the BJP in 2019," BJP Bengal's tweet read.
Even, BJP chief JP Nadda said that suspected heinous killing of Debendra Nath Ray is extremely shocking and deplorable. "The suspected heinous killing of Debendra Nath Ray, BJP MLA from Hemtabad in West Bengal, is extremely shocking and deplorable. This speaks of the Gunda Raj & failure of law and order in the Mamta govt. People will not forgive such a govt in the future. We strongly condemn this," JP Nadda tweeted.
Soon after the news broke, netizens took to Twitter and slammed state government. One user said, "THIS is the sorry state of #Bengal. Don't care if you're a family member, friend, or an acquaintance. Anyone who justifies, or minimises the lawlessness, & fascism in that state will get it back from me.. Enough."
Another user said, "While political assassinations have happened in the past, this killing is particularly gruesome. The sheer brazenness is astounding."
Here's what netizens had to say:
The state BJP leadership termed Ray's death, as "cold-blooded murder" by the ruling Trinamool Congress party. "This is a cold-blooded murder by the goons of the TMC. The TMC was wary of Ray's popularity in the area. We want an independent inquiry to bring out the truth. You can very well understand the state's law and order situation when even an MLA is not safe," BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said.
Refuting the allegations, senior TMC leader and district president Kanailal Agarwal, said it was for the police to investigate the cause of Ray's death. "It is for the police to decide the cause of his (Ray) death. Whether he committed suicide or there is something else... is for the law to decide. I won't comment on it," Agarwal said.
Ray's death has brought back memories of two BJP activists who were found hanging near their homes in Purulia district after the 2018 Panchayat polls in the state.
