KOLKATA: The body of a 19-year-old Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker was found hanging from a tree in West Midnapore district's Pingla on Sunday with the family members of the deceased blaming the state's ruling Trinamool Congress for the killing.
"The body of Pintu Manna (19), a resident of Pingla's Narangdighi, was found hanging from a tree near his residence on Sunday morning. The body has been recovered and sent for autopsy," the police said.
BJP supporters staged an agitation in the area on Sunday, accusing the local Trinamool Congress-backed miscreants of murdering Manna for supporting the saffron party.
They alleged that Manna was murdered and his body was later hung to make it look like a suicide.
"Our boy left his uncle's house in the neighbouring village at around 10.30 p.m. yesterday after having dinner there. But he never reached home. A around 11 p.m., a local, who was passing by the area, saw a body hanging from the tree with a cotton towel tightly wrapped around his face. He informed the rest of the villagers. When police came down and recovered the body, we found out that it was him," a relative of Manna said.
"We suspect that the workers of the ruling party (Trinamool) are involved in the killing. It was a well-planned murder," he added.
Trinamool leaders, however, denied the allegation and said that the BJP was trying to give the death a "political colour".
"The youth committed suicide and the BJP is trying to add political colour. They do the same whenever something like this happens," said Sheikh Sabrati, TMC's Pingla block president.