KOLKATA: Fierce protests by BJP supporters broke out at Mollarpur in Birbhum district on Friday after a teenage boy died in police custody.
The BJP supporters alleged that the deceased, who belonged to a family that supported the saffron party, was beaten to death in the police lock-up. The agitators hurled stones at policemen and blocked roads.
The party also has called a 12-hour bandh in the area on Saturday.
Saumitra Khan, the president of BJP’s youth wing, alleged that the police picked up Shuvo Mehena three days ago on the charges of committing theft. But he was not produced in the court. "Police beat him to death and hanged the body in the toilet," alleged Khan.
The police, however, claimed that the accused committed suicide by hanging himself in the toilet of the police station.
Terming the incident as "another example of state-sponsored terrorism", BJP’s Bengal chapter president Dilip Ghosh said, "Five of our party supporters were murdered during the Durga Puja festival. People will give its reply in next year’s election by overthrowing the TMC-led state government."
As the news of Shuvo’s death spread, locals led by the BJP supporters assembled in front of Mollarpur police station and started staging demonstrations. "As the police tried to disperse them, the agitators pelted stones at the cops. The roadblock continued for over three hours," said an officer of Birbhum police.