India News | Cong Councillor Killed for Refusing to Join TMC, Claims Adhir
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. The Congress on Monday alleged that the Inspector-in-charge (IC) of Jhalda and local TMC leaders had been mounting "pressure" on its councillor Tapan Kandu to switch sides and join the state's ruling camp, and the leader was murdered as he did not give in to their demand.
Kolkata, Mar 14 (PTI) The Congress on Monday alleged that the Inspector-in-charge (IC) of Jhalda and local TMC leaders had been mounting "pressure" on its councillor Tapan Kandu to switch sides and join the state's ruling camp, and the leader was murdered as he did not give in to their demand.
Congress leader in Lok Sabha and state president of the party, Adhir Chowdhury, who paid a visit to Kandu's family in Purulia's Jhalda on Monday afternoon, alleged that Kandu was murdered by the goons of the TMC, and the local police.
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"The Jhalda municipality saw a hung house after polls and Kandu and his wife were asking for help from Independent candidates. Was that a mistake? His wife has said that the TMC, through the police, was putting pressure on them to join the TMC. The local IC had been threatening them to joining the TMC for several months. And when he (IC) could not manage that, Kandu was murdered," Chowdhury said after meeting the deceased's wife.
Describing Kandu as a "martyr", he said that his dedication to the party would be remembered by the future generations.
Chowdhury, during the day, led a rally in the area in protest, with some of Kandu's followers seen pelting the Jhalda police station building with stones.
Senior TMC leader and state urban development minister Firhad Hakim, however, rubbished the allegations and said that Kandu's family members were "made to say those things".
"These are baseless allegations. When such mishaps happen in a family, aggrieved members listen to people and make claims without getting into the root of the matter. Law requires proof and the police will collect that," Hakim said.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)