Protests erupted in parts of West Bengal, a day after the killing of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari's personal assistant Chandranath Rath by unknown assailants in North 24 Parganas district's Madhyamgram on Wednesday.
At Salboni in Paschim Medinipur, around 200 BJP activists and supporters blocked an arterial road with burning tyres and raised slogans alleging a conspiracy by the TMC behind Rath's killing ahead of the swearing-in of the new government.
Police later persuaded the protesters to withdraw the blockade, which lasted around 30 minutes.
In Madhyamgram, the situation remained tense but under control as BJP workers and supporters gathered outside Rath's residence, raising slogans demanding punishment for those behind the crime.
In other parts of North 24 Parganas, normal life remained unaffected, with no reports of demonstrations and vehicular movement continuing as usual.
However, an undercurrent of tension prevailed as police and security personnel maintained vigil while BJP supporters assembled outside party offices and at various locations with flags.
Rath, who served as the executive assistant to Suvendu Adhikari while he was the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, was returning to his residence in Madhyamgram when he was intercepted by motorcycle-borne assailants who opened fire at him before fleeing.
The attack happened at around 10:30 pm on Wednesday near Doltala in Madhyamgram.
Eyewitnesses claimed that the vehicle carrying Rath was first blocked near Doharia junction by a small four-wheeler, following which a motorcycle rider approached the SUV and fired from close range.
The driver of the car, who also sustained bullet injuries, has undergone multiple surgeries and remained in critical condition.
"His condition continues to be very critical. He underwent a couple of surgical procedures and is being closely monitored in the intensive care unit," a senior official at the hospital where he is being treated was quoted as saying by PTI.
Even as BJP leaders accused the TMC of being behind the killing, Suvendu Adhikari stopped short of directly naming any organisation while appealing to party workers to have faith in police and law-enforcing agencies.
"We don't want to draw any conclusion as of now, as police are investigating the matter. I have faith in our police who were earlier made inactive and partisan by the TMC regime," he said after visiting the hospital where Chandranath's body was kept.
The leader of the opposition also alleged that attacks on BJP workers were continuing in several districts after the poll results.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, on Thursday alleged that the incident reflected a "blood-soaked political culture" in West Bengal under the TMC regime.
In a post on X, Pradhan termed the killing a "cold-blooded, barbaric and cowardly execution by TMC goons" and alleged that BJP workers and supporters in the state had repeatedly been targeted, attacked and killed for refusing to surrender to "TMC's politics of fear and intimidation".
"The brutal murder of Chandranath Rath, aide to Suvendu Adhikari ji, is yet another grim reminder of the blood-soaked political culture unleashed by Mamata Banerjee and the TMC in West Bengal," he said in the post.
He further alleged that this was "not isolated violence, but a deliberate ecosystem of terror designed to crush democratic opposition."
In a statement, Pradhan said the TMC was resorting to "threats, brutality and political bloodshed" as it faced declining support in the state.
"What the state is witnessing today is a direct assault on democracy itself, where dissent is answered with violence and political rivalry is treated as justification for murder," he was quoted as saying in the release Pradhan also said violence and revenge had no place in democracy and asserted that those responsible for political violence, "whether perpetrators or protectors", would be held accountable under the law.
"The sacrifice of Rath and countless BJP karyakartas will not be forgotten or allowed to go in vain. The fight to restore peace, security, and genuine democratic values in West Bengal will continue with full resolve," the release quoted him as saying.
He expressed condolences to Rath's family and prayed for peace for the departed soul.
(With inputs from PTI)
