Hooghly (West Bengal) [India], July 10 : Launching a scathing attack on the Trinamool Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) West Bengal State President Samik Bhattacharya claimed that the TMC in the state has "looted the public's money" and asserted that none of the culprits will be spared.
Responding to allegations made by the TMC regarding a recent police encounter in the Baruipur rape-murder case, the senior BJP leader distanced his party from the politics of revenge, noting that TMC leaders continue to move freely despite the alleged political violence inflicted on BJP cadres.
"Trinamool Congress can do anything. Don't compare them with the BJP. It (Trinamool Congress) was not an ordinary political party; it wasn't a political party at all... None of those who looted the public's money will be spared," Bhattacharya told reporters here.
Further attacking the TMC leadership over allegations of state-sponsored atrocities, Bhattacharya highlighted the scale of violence faced by the opposition party workers across West Bengal.
"More than 300 BJP workers have been killed, and rapes have been committed against our sisters. In this very Hooghly district, how many homes have been demolished? From our president to party leaders, no one was spared. The BJP does not believe in the politics of revenge; that's why today Trinamool Congress's councillors, MLAs, and MPs are roaming freely," the BJP leader added.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saugata Roy condemned the encounter death of Prabhas Mondal, the prime suspect in the Baruipur minor's rape and murder case, terming the incident a "casualty" of the rule of law.
Mondal was killed in a police encounter on Wednesday morning after he attempted to snatch a service weapon from an officer and open fire at the police team.
Speaking to ANI, Roy questioned the police's decision to kill the accused instead of following the legal process.
"I condemn this encounter to death. This happened within one day of the Chief Minister and the DGP visiting Baruipur. The rule of law is a casualty. And I don't know under whose instruction the police killed an accused instead of putting him on the docks in court. I am sure that a thorough enquiry will be pursued into this matter," the TMC MP said.
Meanwhile, Sandhya Mondal, the mother of Prabhas Mondal, refused to claim her son's body or bring his remains home in a chilling display of detachment.
The incident unfolded when two police officers arrived at the Mondal residence to inform the family of Prabhas's death. Recounting the moment the officers arrived while she had just woken up, Sandhya Mondal, speaking to ANI, explained her decision to decline an offer to visit the hospital.
"Two policemen came to my house just as I had woken up. They said your son is dead; would you like to go to the hospital? They said if I wanted to, I could go with them. I said, 'I cannot go, my husband is ill... I am not in a condition to go... You do whatever you want, I have no objection,'" she told ANI.
According to the Baruipur Superintendent of Police (SP), the incident occurred during the reconstruction of the crime scene. The police said that during the process, Mondal attempted to snatch a weapon from a police officer while in custody and open fire at the police team.
In the ensuing retaliatory fire from police, Mondal sustained critical injuries. He was rushed to the hospital but was declared dead by medical authorities, the SP stated.
Mondal was the key accused in the alleged rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl in Baruipur, in South 24 Parganas. The 12-year-old girl went missing on Saturday and was later found dead in a pond, with an alleged case of rape and murder triggering outrage and protests in the area.