Slain BJP workers’ families take train to Modi event

Kolkata: Close relatives of 65 BJP workers who had reportedly died in ‘political violence’ in West Bengal were on Wednesday taken to New Delhi by senior party leaders in a Rajdhani Express from Howrah station. They had received invitations from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend his swearing-in ceremony on Thursday.

This was the very reason chief minister Mamata Banerjee cited in a tweet on Wednesday as the factor that led her to decide against attending the swearing-in.

In the afternoon, the B3 coach was buzzing as BJP leaders ticked off a list of attendees who were to take the train as they queued up and took their seats one by one.

Leading the pack was 28-year-old Basanti Singh, whose husband Ramen Singh was hacked to death at Gopiballabhpur in Jhargram on May 11, a day before the district went to polls.

“My husband was a BJP booth president. I want justice for him and want his killers arrested,” said Basanti, who was travelling with her son Suman (6).

Also in the queue was Sunita Maity (34), who held a photograph of husband Sukdeb, whose body was found at an under-construction building site in Ghatal, West Midnapore three years ago. “He was an active BJP worker. Since his death, the family has fallen apart. I have a daughter in Class XI and a son in Class V. If I get a chance to meet the prime minister, I will ask for a job and some financial assistance,” she said.

Some family members such as Vivekananda Mahato, the brother of Purulia’s Trilochan Mahato, had already reached Delhi and was put up at BJP leader Mukul Roy’s bungalow. Trilochan was the young BJP booth president who was allegedly murdered in 2018 and hung from a tree near his house. “Given a chance to meet the prime minister, I will seek a CBI inquiry into my brother’s death and immediate arrest of the Trinamool leaders who were arrested but are now out on bail,” Vivekananda said.

BJP has accused Trinamool of unleashing violence on its workers prior to elections, alleging that several people died in ‘political violence’. Trinamool has denied the allegations. “It is an act of respect to our workers who have died serving the party because of violence unleashed by Trinamool,” said Tushar Kanti Ghosh, BJP’s state secretary who is accompanying the families. “The party is paying for their round-trip and stay in Delhi. They will board the train home on May 31,” he added.

The travellers also included some families who were not victims of immediate ‘political violence’. One was that of Sourav Chowdhury, who was killed by goons in 2014 because of his opposition to hooch sale at Bamangachhi in North 24 Parganas. “My brother died for protesting against rigging and Trinamool atrocities in the area,” brother Sandip alleged.