Bengal Panchayat polls: Body of BJP candidate's relative recovered in Dinhata

Kolkata, June 18 (IANS) Amid ongoing violence ahead of panchayat polls in West Bengal, the body of a BJP candidate's relative was recovered from a paddy field in Dinhata in Cooch Behar district on Sunday morning.

With this, the state has recorded eight poll-related deaths since election dates for the rural civic body polls were announced on June 8.

The deceased has been identified as Sambhu Das, the brother-in-law of BJP candidate from the area Bisakha Das.

According to the Additional District Superintendent of Police Kumar Sunny Raj, "The body was recovered from a paddy field in the Dinhata area. The body has been sent for post-mortem. The police are investigating the matter."

BJP's Dinhata town president Ajay Roy said: "The violence unleashed by the ruling Trinamool Congress has reached its extreme step in the entire district now. The brother-in-law of our party candidate, who was himself associated with BJP for a long time, has been killed by the close followers of local ruling party legislator and West Bengal Minister Udayan Guha."

Rubbishing the allegations, Guha said: "No politics was involved with the unfortunate incident. The deceased individual actually had no relation with any political party. BJP is trying to add political colours to any incident just with the intention of maligning Trinamool Congress."

Local people suspect that the "murder" of Das was an "extension" of the attack on the convoy of the Union Minister of State for Home and BJP MP from Cooch Behar Nisith Pramanik on Saturday afternoon.

The election is scheduled on July 8 and the counting will be taken up on July 11.

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