BJP leader Yuva Morcha and MP Soumitra Khan called a 12-hour bandh in the area (File)
Birbhum:
A 15-year-old boy arrested for a minor theft died Thursday evening at a police station in Birbhum district, West Bengal. In their report, police said that, hours after his arrest yesterday, he used the bathroom and committed suicide.
The BJP, which claimed the boy and his family were party supporters, said he was tortured to death in custody and blocked National Road 14 for 3 hours on Friday in Mallarpur.
Before leaving for Mallarpur, BJP leader Yuva Morcha and MP Soumitra Khan called a bandh in the area on Saturdays.
Birbhum strongman from Trinamool, MP Anubrata Mondal, said the boy’s father, Ganesh Mehana, was a Trinamool supporter and the BJP was lying.
Several leaders from Trinamool were present when the boy’s body was cremated in the late afternoon. Ganesh Mehena, the boy’s father, who was present said: “I am in Trinamool, I will always stay in Trinamool. My son used to do some ‘nasha-bhang‘(addiction) sometimes. He’s even stolen once or twice. The police caught him. Maybe they gave it a hit or two. We were brought here overnight and saw that our son had committed suicide. “
When asked if he was going to file a complaint against the police, the father replied, “We have no complaints to make. Our son is deceased. What am I going to complain about?”
Birbhum Police Commissioner Shyam Singh told GalacticGaming: “There was one case of death in custody at the police station. A judicial inquiry has been opened. An autopsy was conducted by a team of 3 and all measurements were taken in accordance with NHRC rules. “
Yesterday the BJP called a 12 o’clock bandh in Bagnan, Howrah district, after the death of Kinkar Majhi, a party worker shot dead by an alleged Trinamool worker in September. Angry BJP workers searched the home of the accused in the case.
BJP deputy Soumitra Khan led demonstrations there yesterday. He will be at Birbhum tonight and threatened to sit overnight dharna at the police station. The BJP is calling for the arrest of the police officer in charge of the police station where the 15-year-old died.
