KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress functionaries came forward to cremate the body of a BJP leader, who died of cardiac arrest in West Bengal’s East Burdwan district, after nobody from the saffron camp responded to repeated pleas by his wife.
Sixty-year-old Anup Banerjee, who was the BJP’s booth president, died on Friday. His wife Reena stood guard beside his body overnight.
Her repeated pleas to the local BJP workers to help cremate him fell on deaf ears as they suspected Banerjee died of Covid-19.
On Saturday afternoon, a local TMC leader Budun Sheikh instructed the party workers to go and help the family. They carried Banerjee’s body and cremated it.
“It was around 1 pm when my husband died. He had no symptoms of Covid-19. He was suffering from physical ailments and had succumbed to a massive cardiac arrest,” Reena said.
“I informed the BJP’s local leaders and functionaries with whom my husband worked hard in the Assembly elections. Initially, they said they will come soon. Bu no one turned up,” she said.
“I then heard a rumour that my husband died of Covid. I couldn’t arrange a vehicle to take him to the crematorium. It was stormy night with heavy downpour. I had to spend the night with his body,’’ Reena said.