Hiran Chattopadhyay, the MLA from Kharagpur Sadar in West Bengal, said on Sunday that women should “stand up” to the police with “sticks, brooms and knives”.
Hiran, who has been named as the Lok Sabha candidate from Ghatal by the BJP, met the family of a BJP worker, who was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Kharagpur on Sunday.
Speaking to the media after meeting the family, Hiran said, “The police have been threatening us since today (Sunday) morning. I pray to the mothers and sisters of West Bengal to come out with sticks, brooms and boti (a type of knife used to cut vegetables) to stop the police together. Else, the police will destroy West Bengal.”
The body of the victim, Shantanu Ghorai, was found in a paddy field in the Barbashi area of Kharagpur on Sunday. The BJP claimed that Ghorai was associated with the party.
His family said that he had gone missing on Saturday night and his body was found in the field the next morning.
The BJP has demanded a CBI probe into the matter and said that a postmortem examination of the body will be done after it.
“We will move the Calcutta High Court demanding a CBI probe into the matter on Tuesday (March 26). The body will be sent for autopsy only after that, as the West Bengal government can manipulate the report if the autopsy is done now. We will not get justice,” he said.
“The CBI probe will reveal the names of the police personnel and the Trinamool Congress leaders involved in this crime,” he added.
Hiran criticised the police and the local administration over the issue and said that “like in Sandeshkhali”, the women in Kharagpur should come out with sticks, brooms and knives.
Source Agencies
