Death of woman, allegedly attacked by TMC, sparks row

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday claimed that an 82-year-old woman, a party worker's mother, succumbed to her injuries sustained during an attack by Trinamool Congress supporters in Nimta area of West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district last month.

BJP workers staged a protest in front of Nimta police station and burnt tyres on M B Road, even as the TMC claimed that its activists were not involved in any attack and she might have died due to age-related ailments.

Expressing grief over the woman's death, Union Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted, "Anguished over the demise of Bengal's daughter Shova Majumdar ji, who was brutally beaten by TMC goons."

"The pain & wounds of her family will haunt Mamata didi for long. Bengal will fight for a violence-free tomorrow, Bengal will fight for a safer state for our sisters & mothers," Shah added in the Twitter post.

Union minister Debasree Chaudhuri said that Shova Majumdar succumbed to her injuries sustained during a TMC attack on her house on February 27. She had undergone
treatment at a hospital for 27 days.

"Ma, Mati, Manush (TMC's slogan meaning mother, motherland, peop e) is blood-stained in West Bengal because of the violent barbaric attack that didn't even spare an 82-year-old woman," she told reporters, adding that her party might consider demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into the incident.

Her party colleague Locket Chatterjee said that even as there is no video footage to back Banerjee's claims that she was attacked in Nandigram, the chief minister is silent on continuing attacks on women -- rapes, murders, molestation and physical violence -- in the state.

Dismissing the allegations, TMC MP Sougata Roy said, "The incident has no relation with politics and the BJP is unnecessarily trying to cash on a death."

"Any death is unfortunate and tragic. TMC men were not involved in any attack. We have information that she might have died due to old age-related ailments," he added.

Sharply reacting to Shah's tweet, TMC's Rajya Sabha MP and spokesperson Derek O'Brien said the Union home minister must show some respect to the investigation process.

"The death of Shova Majumdar is a tragedy. What is totally unfortunate though is the home min peddling a narrative when the incident is under investigation. He heads a Police Force & multiple Central Agencies. Shouldn't he show some respect to the investigative process of India!," he tweeted.

In another Twitter post, he said, "Every death is tragic. However, the 'tourist gang's' attempt to malign #Bengal and politicise the death of the woman is despicable. Death has nothing to do with politics. BJP leader giving gyan about #WomenSafety. What is their own track record?"

A senior police officer of the Barrackpore Commissionerate had on February 27 said that BJP activist Gopal Majumdar was attacked by unidentified persons in North Dumdum in Nimta police station area.
Majumdar's mother, however, claimed that she and her son were beaten up by TMC 'goons' and they threatened her son not to speak about the incident to anyone.

Police, however, said the matter is being investigated and the accused persons are yet to be identified as they were masked.