On the 22nd of July, a trader named Aseem Saha, who was associated with the BJP was stabbed to death by some miscreants at his shop in the Uttar Dinajpur’s Islampur area in West Bengal. According to the Police, Saha was a businessman from Cooch Behar district. He had come to his maternal uncle Ratan’s saree shop when the incident took place.
It is alleged that he was killed for refusing to give extortion or cut money. The principal opposition party, BJP has alleged that TMC-backed goons are involved in the murder of their party worker. However, the Police claim that the murder was a result of personal rivalry.
Meanwhile, a shocking video of this gruesome killing surfaced online. Around three to four men entering the trader’s shop are seen in the purported CCTV footage. They then overpower him and the assailants start stabbing the trader with a knife. When another trader tried to intervene, he also sustained injuries. Both the victims were rushed to a hospital in Siliguri where Aseem Saha was declared brought dead.
After analysing the CCTV footage and details from the eyewitnesses present at the crime scene, the police arrested a suspect a few hours after the brutal killing took place. The police have launched an investigation into the matter.
The police said, “This seems to be a personal dispute and not a political matter. An argument took place between the attackers and the victim and Saha was attacked with a knife.”
However, according to the functionaries of the Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), Aseem Saha protested against the TMC-backed miscreants and refused to give extortion or cut money which led to his unfortunate demise.
Subsequently, to register their protest against the gruesome killing, BJP’s youth wing called for a 12 hours general strike in Islampur.
BJP District vice-president, Uttar Dinajpur Surajit Sen blamed the TMC-backed goons for the death of their party worker. He also urged the local residents to support their strike against the gruesome killings taking place in the state.
He said, “Yesterday, a cloth dealer was stabbed to death for protesting against some goons associated with TMC who were demanding money from him. He died before reaching the hospital. We have called for a general strike in the Islampur area. We have requested locals in Islampur to support the strike.”
BJYM State President Indranil Khan claimed that the Mamata Banerjee government and the West Bengal police are not functioning properly.
Khan said, “Aseem Saha was one of our workers. He was working in his store when some TMC goons stabbed him to death in daylight. After a few hours, Aseem was dead. The Police and administration under Mamata Banerjee are not functioning properly. We called a strike against the killing of Aseem Saha and the people of Islampur.”
In the wake of the gruesome daylight killing and a general strike called by the BJYM, the West Bengal police have beefed up the security in the entire stretch of Uttar Dinajpur’s Islampur area.
Responding to the BJYM’s call for a strike, the Police said, “The BJP has called for a 12-hour bandh and if any attempt is made to disturb law and order, we will take legal action.”
The TMC-ruled state has been witnessing an unceasing spate of violence particularly after the announcement of the Panchayat polls which have claimed the lives of more than 40 people. However, violent incidents and crimes against women are still continuing unabated in the state. In fact, in a political rarity, the left, Congress, and BJP have unequivocally termed the precarious situation in the state as an assault on the democratic setup in the state.