TMC MLA Satyajit Biswas murdered: BJP leader Mukul Roy, four others booked; West Bengal Police arrest two suspects

West Bengal BJP leader Mukul Roy is among the five who have been booked in connection with the murder of Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Satyajit Biswas. The police filed an FIR in the case on Sunday and also arrested two of the four suspects, besides Roy, named in the report. “We have lodged an FIR and arrested two accused: Sujit Mondal and Kartik Mondal,” Rupesh Kumar, Superintendent of Police in Nadia, was quoted as saying by  DNA. The two used to be TMC workers who switched to BJP several months ago, Hindustan Times reported. [caption id=“attachment_6059171” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image o Satyajit Biswas. News18[/caption] Biswas, who represented the Krishnaganj constituency in West Bengal’s Nadia district, was shot dead by unidentified assailants on Saturday  at the venue of a Saraswati Puja celebration. He was shot at point-blank range while getting off the dais. The MLA was taken to the Shaktinagar district hospital after the incident, but the police said he was declared dead on arrival, India Today reported. According to CNN News18, the police had narrowed down their search to three suspects upon initial investigation. Biswas was a respected leader among the Matua community, which is politically sensitive for both the TMC and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP had recently made inroads in the district of Nadia, which borders Bangladesh. Authorities have also suspended the Officer-In-Charge of the Hanskhali Police Station in connection with the case, ANI reported. The reason for his suspension is unclear. The MLA’s security guard who was on leave on Saturday has also been suspended, DNA reported. The development comes amid political row has begun on Biswas’ killing. Nadia TMC president Gourishankar Dutta has blamed the BJP and Roy’s supporters for the murder. “It was a planned murder by the BJP. Minister Ratna Ghosh, Satyajit and I were invited as guests for the programme. On a personal level, he was like a son to me. He had recently got married. He was also a part of the Matua Sangha. The BJP was not able to attract Matua voters because of him. We will not let his death go in vain,” The Indian Express quoted Dutta as saying. The BJP, however, has refuted the allegation. West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh has denied the charges, blaming the infighting in TMC Biswas’ murder. In addition, even after the FIR was lodged against him, Roy maintained the “no BJP leader” was involved in the murder, accusing the TMC of “desperately trying to frame BJP workers on false charges”.

Deepest condolences to family and friends of murdered TMC MLA Satyajit Biswas.
I demand a neutral investigation into such a heinous crime, also believe that no one from BJP is involved in this crime caused by TMC infighting,desperately trying to frame BJP workers on false charges

— Mukul Roy (@MukulR_Official) February 10, 2019