A 30-year-old tribal youth leader of CPI(M), missing for the last five days, was found hanging from a tree in a forest in Gomati district, 90 km from here today, the police said.
While the police described the incident as a suicide, the opposition CPI(M) cried foul, dubbing it as a "cold-blooded political murder."
Amarpur Sub-Divisional Police Officer Souvik Dey said the youth leader, Ajendra Reang had gone missing from his home at a tribal hamlet Govindabari on April 12 and his body was found hanging in the Brahmaniya Kuyri forest in Amarpur sub-division of Gomati district.
After discovery of the body, it was sent for post-mortem examination, said Dey, adding preliminary investigations suggest it to be a case of suicide.
Refusing to elaborate upon the findings of preliminary probe which suggested the incident to be a case of suicide, Dey said, "We can't give you details unless the post-mortem examination report is available."
Ajendra's father Dharmajoy Reang, however, alleged that his son was hanged after murder.
"There were black marks all over his body. These were the marks of severe beating. Besides, the body was found hanging and also tied to the tree. Had he committed suicide, who tied him?," asked Dharmajoy.
Ajendra was the secretary of South Amarpur Local Committee of Tribal Youth Federation (TYF), the tribal youth wing of the CPI(M).
CPI(M) state secretary Bijan Dhar said, "Ajendra's death is a cold-blooded political murder."
He alleged the CPI(M) supporters were being targeted in political attacks by the ruling BJP and its ally Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT).
BJP spokesperson Mrinal Kanti Deb, however, said, "Claiming suicides as murders was a traditional way of CPI(M) to politicize everything."
"The BJP has no role in the incident," he added.
The BJP, IPFT coalition threw the well-entrenched CPI(M) out of power in the recent state assembly elections.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)