A BJP MLA in West Bengal was found dead in an open verandah outside a shop early this morning in North Dinajpur district, triggering allegations from the BJP that he was killed.
The market where MLA Debendra Nath Ray was found hanging is about one kilometre away from his home.
At least one member of his family has claimed that some people had come to the house at 1 am and called him away. The MLA's family has demanded a probe into his death.
This morning, local residents spotted his hanging body and called the police.
"Ray was found hanging near a shop at Hemtabad area this (Monday) morning. We have started an investigation," news agency PTI quoted a a senior district police officer as saying.
The BJP has claimed the MLA was murdered. BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya said in a tweet, "No end to the killing of BJP leaders in Bengal. The BJP MLA who had left the TMC has been murdered. Was it because he joined the BJP?"
BJP chief JP Nadda was among those who tweeted on the MLA's death.
The suspected heinous killing of Debendra Nath Ray, BJP MLA from Hemtabad in West Bengal, is extremely shocking and deplorable. This speaks of the Gunda Raj & failure of law and order in the Mamta govt. People will not forgive such a govt in the future. We strongly condemn this.
— Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) July 13, 2020
Debendra Nath Ray had contested and won the Hemtabad assembly segment - a reserved seat for Scheduled Castes - on a CPM ticket backed by the Congress in 2016 but had switched over to the BJP last year after the Lok Sabha election.
Hemtabad in is North Dinajpur district.
(With inputs from PTI)
