The murder of a woman BJP supporter on Wednesday night in East Midnapore’s Nandigram led to widespread violence and arson since Thursday morning, two days before voting is scheduled in the area known for a sustained anti-land acquisition stir that acted as a catalyst for Mamata Banerjee to become chief minister by unseating the Left Front government in 2007.
A Trinamul leader from Sonachura, identified as Debu Roy, has been arrested.
BJP workers burnt tyres, blocked roads and pulled down shutters of shops in Nandigram, alleging TMC-backed criminals were involved in the killing of Rathirani Ari (38), who is a saffron party worker in Sonachura village in Nandigram that is part of the Tamluk Lok Sabha constituency.
Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari accused the Trinamul of indulging in violence since it was certain of defeat in the Tamluk constituency, where the BJP has fielded the former Calcutta high court judge, Abhijit Ganguly.
“These jihadis do not hesitate to kill a woman. The BJP will pursue the matter till the end, legally and democratically. Anybody who has dared to shed blood in Nandigram has been forgotten by history,” Suvendu said.
