Congress alleges ‘political murder’ in Asansol
The Congress’ West Bengal unit chief, Subhankar Sarkar, on Sunday described the killing of a party worker in Asansol, where polling was held on April 23, as “political murder” even as the police said it was a fallout of an altercation over car parking.
In Delhi, the Congress said the victim, Debdeep Chatterjee, was closely associated with Asansol Uttar Assembly seat’s party candidate Prasenjit Puitandi and termed the killing as post-poll violence. Senior party leader Rahul Gandhi strongly condemned the killing, and said his party will not bow before this politics that stains India’s non-violent tradition.
Puitandi claimed that Chatterjee was “murdered by TMC goons sheltered by local councillor Animesh Das”, a charge the corporator denied. Chatterjee’s wife claimed that she, along with her husband and their 10-year-old son, were returning home after attending a family function when an altercation broke out with the youths who had parked their two-wheeler right at the entrance of their housing complex. The situation escalated when Chatterjee stepped out of his car, and the youths thrashed him, she claimed.
A senior police official said that upon being trashed, Chatterjee fell to the ground, hit his head on a concrete slab and became unconscious. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him ‘brought dead’, the official said. Puitandy said Chatterjee, an active Congress worker in the area who had campaigned intensively for the party in the assembly polls, was “murdered by TMC goons sheltered by local councillor Animesh Das”.
Das, however, denied the allegation, saying none of those involved in the attack was associated with the TMC.
“I am not in the area. Once I return, I will meet the family of the deceased. The Congress is politicising this unfortunate incident. Let the police conduct a thorough and impartial probe. Whoever is responsible for his death should be arrested,” the councillor said.
Meanwhile, Congress workers led by Puitandy held a demonstration in front of the Asansol South police outpost, demanding the immediate arrest of the culprits.
