Bengal BJP demands CBI probe into killing of Kharagpur Trinamool activist

KOLKATA: A day after the killing of a Trinamool Congress activist in Kharagpur in West Midnapore district, Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh on Thursday demanded a CBI probe into the killing.
BJP sources, however, claimed that Trinamool Congress was trying to falsely implicate their party chief in the case.

Ghosh himself is aware of Trinamool's plan and has demanded a CBI investigation into the murder of the ruling party activist, the sources added.

K.Srinivas Naidu, known as Srini Naidu, was shot at by a group of armed miscreants at the New Settlement area in the railway town of Kharagpur on Wednesday. He succumbed to his injuries at a Kolkata hospital on the same day. The miscreants used a car to reach New Settlement area and hurled bombs and sprayed bullets at the Trinamool activists present at the local party.

Apart from Naidu, another ruling party worker, Dharma was also gunned down by the miscreants.

Five persons have so far been detailed by the police in connection with the killings of Trinamool workers.

New Settlement area falls under the Kharagpur Town assembly constituency which was won by BJP state president Dilip Ghosh last year. Trinamool Congress activist and chairman of the Kharagpur Municipality, Pradip Sarkar alleged on Thursday that after winning the Assembly polls, Ghosh has threatened Naidu with dire consequences.

Denying Sarkar's allegation against him, Ghosh on Thursday said, "This is not the first time that miscreants opened fire at Kharagpur. An atmosphere of fear is prevailing at the railway town of Kharagpur where miscreants use fire arms freely. After I won the assembly constituency of Kharagpur Town, I received reports in which miscreants used fire arms freely four times. I had taken up the incidents with the police, but no action was taken."

Ghosh also denied allegations levelled against him by Kharagpur Municipality chairman and Trinamool activist, Pradip Sarkar that he had threatened the victim with dire consequences.

"I want to know why Sarkar had gone to jail to meet Srini Naidu?," asked Ghosh. "Trinamool Congress is unleashed a reign of terror by using the state administration in every corner of Bengal and Kharagpur is not an exception. I have n o faith on Mamata Banerjee's police as they always play partial role. I want a CBI investigation into the killing of Srini Naidu and I believe only the CBI investigation can expose truth behind the killing," Ghosh said.

Interestingly, Srini Naidu's wife is a Trinamool Congress councillor of the Kharagpur Municipality and was a BJP worker. Srini was involved in a number of criminal cases and his wife won the municipal polls on a BJP ticket and later she joined Trinamool Congress.