Kolkata, June 15 (IANS): Claiming that over 150 political killings have occurred in West Bengal since the Trinamool Congress came to power in 2011, the BJP said Sunday it will no more tolerate political violence in the state.
A central BJP team, led by party vice president Balbir Punj, arrived in the city Sunday and headed towards Ilambazar in Birbhum district to meet the family members of party activist Rahim Sheikh who was killed allegedly by Trinamool goons June 7.
"Since the Mamata Banerjee government took over, political violence has been on the rise and BJP activists have been steadily targeted. Since her party came to power, 157 political killings have taken place and 35 political activists have been compelled to commit suicide," Punj said, upon the team's arrival at the Kolkata airport.
"Since the Lok Sabha election was announced, at least 50 political killings have taken place in Bengal. Such killings are a blot on democracy and BJP will no more tolerate such killings," added Punj.
Meanwhile, Sheikh's daughter and an eye-witness to the killing Amina Bibi, accused the police of inaction.
"We don't have any faith in the police who have done nothing to arrest the murderers despite having knowledge about them. We are now hoping the central government will do something and punish the Trinamool goons who killed my father just because he supported BJP," said Bibi.
The BJP May 31 sent a similar team to Sandeshkhali in North 24-Parganas where 26 of its activists were injured in an attack engineered allegedly by the Trinamool.
The team in its report accused the ruling party of "patronising and harbouring" Bangladeshi fundamentalists to unleash a reign of terror in Bengal.
"These attacks are not just a fight between two political parties but part of a larger design to spread a reign of terror in the region through a nexus of Islamic groups, smuggling mafia, terror elements and Trinamool goons," the team said in its report submitted to party president Rajnath Singh, also the union home minister.