Express News Service
PURULIA: While newly-appointed Purulia SP Akash Magharia claimed that the cause of death of BJP worker Dulal Kumar was determined as suicide in the post-mortem, relatives of the deceased question the role of police. “We have received the post-mortem report of Dulal Kumar which has been found to be asphyxiation due to hanging and suicidal in nature,” Magharia said.
However, the relatives of both the deceased BJP workers Dulal Kumar and Trilochan Mahato not only dismissed the police claims but questioned the role of the police.
“Police refused to take our complaint. And, normally it takes a few days to get post-mortem report but how did they ascertain that it was suicide within one day? We have three children Aditya (11), Adarsha (7) and Pooja (9) and my husband did not have any loans, family issues or any reason to commit suicide. Police is covering up the issue by trying to show it as a suicide,” said Dulal’s 27-year-old widow Monica Kumar.
On the other hand, Trilochan Mahato’s family claimed that police deliberately gave false locations of mobile tower during the night-long search for him on May 29.
“First, the police team along with a sniffer dog tracked the mobile tower location to Dumari village, 3 km away from Trilochan’s home at Supurdi village, and then they tracked the location to Harjora
village, some 1.5 km from Supurdi, but did not go to Atkathia forest despite Trilochan stating that his final location before being blindfolded was Atkathia. Finally, his body was found at the end of the forest. We suspect that they deliberately wasted time to allow the accused to flee,” Trilochan’s brother Shibnath Mahato said. An FIR has been lodged in Trilochan's death but the deceased's family did not receive the FIR copy and it is with the district BJP leadership.
State BJP leaders visiting Purulia on Sunday alleged that the deaths were a result of Trinamool Congress’ conspiracy as a ‘last resort’ after losing panchayat elections in Purulia’s Balarampur.
“TMC is afraid after losing ground in Purulia and they are taking these steps as a last resort. Few days before this incident, Abhishek Banerjee came to Purulia and asked workers to make this district ‘Oppositioness’. We want immediate arrest of Abhishek Banerjee,” BJP Nari Morcha president Locket Chatterjee said.
On the other hand, state BJP general secretary Sayantan Basu demanded CBI inquiry into the deaths. “The twin murders have exposed the nexus of police and TMC. We want the cases to be handed over to CBI
or else we will move the court,” he said. The cases are currently being investigated by state Crime Investigation Department (CID).
However, TMC secretary general said that the post-mortem report dismissed claims that TMC killed the BJP workers. "The post-mortem report stating suicide has put a lid on BJP claims that TMC members were behind the hanging of Dulal Kumar," he said.
Meanwhile, Purulia district observed total bandh called by BJP against the twin deaths on Sunday. Shops and establishments across the district remained closed throughout the day.
