BJP leader's death due to hanging: post-mortem report

Roy's family members and the saffron party demanded a CBI inquiry into his death. The BJP has termed the post-mortem report a "cover-up and an attempt to project a murder as suicide" and reiterated its demand for a CBI inquiry to bring out the truth.

West Bengal BJP leader and Hemtabad MLA Debendra Nath Roy died due to hanging and no other injury mark was found on his body, according to the post-mortem report released on Tuesday. The BJP, however, refused to accept the report and demanded a CBI inquiry into the incident to bring out the truth.

Roy's body was found hanging from the ceiling of a verandah outside a shuttered shop near his home in Bindal village in North Dinajpur district on Monday. The post-mortem report stated, "Death is due to hanging. No other injury is detected." The report also said the "death is due to the effects of hanging as noted above- antemortem in nature. Further information if any will be provided after receipt of the chemical examiner's report".

West Bengal police have said a suicide note was found in his shirt's pocket where he blamed two people for his death. West Bengal Home Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay said the police, after going through pieces of circumstantial evidence and post-mortem report, suspect Roy killed himself.

"On the basis of the post-mortem report and on examining circumstantial evidence and version of the witnesses, the West Bengal police are prima facie of the opinion that this is a case of a suspected suicide," he told reporters at the state secretariat. A piece of paper or note purportedly written by the deceased found in the pocket of his shirt he was wearing at that time "names two persons, provides their photographs and mobile numbers", the home secretary added.

"The WB police have examined the antecedents and activities of the two aforesaid named persons whose photos and mobile numbers were also apparently given by the deceased and it appears that these two persons are involved in some para banking or money lending activities in the locality. "The West Bengal police are examining the context of unregistered banking," the IAS officer said.

Bandyopadhyay said the state government "is committed to transparency and comprehensive investigation into the incident" and will not allow any political or extraneous considerations to influence the probe. "The investigation has already been handed over to the CID. No political or extraneous considerations will be allowed to interfere in the pursuit of truth through impartial investigation," he added.

Roy's family and the BJP, however, claimed he was "murdered by the TMC", a charge denied by the ruling party in the state. Roy's family members and the saffron party demanded a CBI inquiry into his death.

The BJP has termed the post-mortem report a "cover-up and an attempt to project a murder as suicide" and reiterated its demand for a CBI inquiry to bring out the truth. "We don't have faith in state police and administration. They want to cover up the matter. The post-mortem report called the 'murder' a suicide', so we have no confidence in this report.

"The state should either hand over the investigation to CBI or order a judicial probe under the supervision of a sitting judge of the high court," said Rahul Sinha, National Secretary, BJP. Meanwhile, BJP supporters clashed with the police and pelted stones at buses during a 12-hour bandh called by the party in North Bengal on Tuesday over the unnatural death of Roy.

The bandh that started at 6 am evoked mixed response with shops remaining closed in some places and lesser number of public transport vehicles on the roads. The BJP Yuva Morcha held a sit-in demonstration near Mahatama Gandhi statue at Mayo Road in Kolkata demanding justice for Roy and an end to political violence by alleged TMC goons in the state.

Roy had won the Hemtabad (reserved) seat on a CPI(M) ticket in 2016 but later joined the BJP. He had, however, not quit his assembly seat.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)