Murshidabad triple murder: As BJP and TMC trade barbs, victims' kin plead for killings not to be 'politicised'

The Murshidabad triple murder is roiling West Bengal politics with the Bharatiya Janata Party claiming that one of the victims was an RSS member. Barbs were traded with the ruling Trinamool Congress, which claimed that the schoolteacher was a victim of "BJP infighting".  This, even as the state police said they found no evidence to that effect and the victims' family pleaded for the issue "not to be politicised."

On Tuesday, Bandhuprakash Pal, a 40-year-old school teacher, his wife Beauty (30) and their son Angan (5) were found brutally murdered at their home in Lebu Bagan area of Jiaganj.  The news soon hit headlines with various media outlets identifying Bandhuprakash as an RSS worker and the BJP attacking the ruling Trinamool Congress for unleashing an 'endless cycle of violence' against workers of Opposition parties.

However, the victims' kin said Bandhuprakash, the 40-year-old teacher, was not associated with any political party.

File image of Bandhu Prakash Pal and his wife Beauty Pal. Image credit: Facebook/Bandhu Prakash Pal

The Indian Express quoted Pal's mother as saying, "He was like a white paper [sic]. Who told you he is a BJP member? He was never associated with BJP or Trinamool Congress. He was never with RSS. These are lies being spread."

According to police, the husband and wife were hacked to death while the son was strangled first and later assaulted with a heavy object. Four suspects were detained for questioning but two of them were later set free.

"Dilip Ghosh yesterday said that my cousin belonged to the BJP parivar. He is lying. He belonged to our parivar," Bandhu Krishna Ghosh, Pal’s maternal cousin was as saying by The Indian Express. "I have seen him since childhood and apart from being my cousin, he was my best friend. Whenever we talked politics he used to walk away. Even Trinamool Congress leaders are now saying it is due to an internal feud in the BJP. They are the ruling party they should ensure that police find who hacked my cousin, his wife and the little boy to death. No one should politicise the issue."

Ruling out any political motive, the police on Thursday said the preliminary investigation into the murder of a family of three pointed to "personal reasons" being behind the crime.

The Telegraph quoted Murshidabad police chief Mukesh as saying, "In the investigation, being led by an additional superintendent of police, we have not found any political connection to the tragic incident. There seems to be personal reasons behind the murders. The family of the victims have told us the same. They have said so in public. In fact, they have issued an appeal against politicisation of the tragedy."

Tanmoy Sarkar, Additional Superintendent of Police, Murshidabad, said that it appeared that the killers may have known Pal and his family from earlier. Sarkar was quoted by The Wire as saying, "Pal and his family stayed in Sagardighi area of Murshidabad around one and a half years ago. He shifted to Jiaganj after he borrowed some money from people and got into some trouble over it," adding "he had also ventured into a few small businesses, along with taking up teaching."

Despite the district police's announcement that the murders were committed by "unidentified miscreants", BJP upped the ante against the Mamata Banerjee-led state government and sought time from President Ram Nath Kovind and Home Minister Amit Shah to apprise them about the "complete breakdown" of the law and order situation in the state.

RSS Bengal secretary Jishnu Basu claimed the police assured quick action after a fact-finding team of the RSS visited Jiaganj.

BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra tweeting about the murders, slammed "liberals" and other eminent citizens who recently wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to take strict action against communal lynchings.

"Warning: Gruesome video. This has shaken my conscience …a RSS worker Sh Bandhu Prakash Pal,his eight months pregnant wife & his kid were brutally slaughtered in West Bengal’s Murshidabad; Not a word by the liberals; Not a letter by 59 liberals to Mamata. Nauseating Selectivism," he wrote on Twitter.

The RSS mouthpiece Organiser also attacked the state government for "deteriorating law and order" and accused liberals of remaining mute. It also demanded a CBI investigation.

Reiterating similar sentiments, Raj Bhavan also issued a statement condemning the incident as "reflective of intolerance". Governor of West Bengal Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar has strongly condemned as dastardly and barbaric. The incident, according to the governor, has "shocked the conscience on account of its enormity. This is reflective of intolerance and worrisome law and order situation".

Reacting to Dhankar's statement on the triple murder, the Trinamool Congress criticised the governor for his "persistent overstepping of constitutional boundaries". Trinamool’s secretary general Partha Chatterjee said Dhankar was demeaning the post of the governor by crossing his constitutional limits. "We get what his intentions are. His statement regarding the law and order situation is motivated," said Chatterjee.

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FP Staff