Kolkata, June 24: One person was arrested in West Bengal's Purulia district on Sunday for his alleged involvement in the killing of local BJP activist Trilochan Mahato, a senior CID officer said.
"Punjabi Mahato, 45, a resident of Supurdi Nich basti in Purulia's Balarampur, was arrested on Sunday after prolonged interrogation on the basis of the case registered by the deceased's father," Deputy Inspector General, CID, Nishad Parvez said in a release.
"Two mobile phones and two SIM cards were seized from the house of the accused and have been sent for forensic examination. He will be produced in court on Monday with a prayer for police custody," the officer said.
The body of 20-year-old Trilochan Mahato was found hanging from a tree in at the Khudigora jungle, a km away from his village in Balarampur area on May 30, with a message inscribed on the back of his T-shirt accusing him of supporting the BJP.
A poster found nearby claimed the youth had to die for his affinity for the saffron party.
The deceased who was missing since May 29, was allegedly hanged using his own cloths.
Three days after Mahato's death, the body of 32-year-old Dulal Kumar, also claimed to be a BJP activist, was found hanging from a high-tension tower in Dabha village in the same district.
The BJP leadership accused Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress for both the killings and moved to the Supreme Court seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the matter. However, they were asked to approach the Calcutta High Court.
The BJP accused the Trinamool and the local police was acting together with the miscreants to cover up the murders
The Trinamool has, however, denied its involvement in either of the incidents. The state government has handed over the probe to the CID.
BJP President Amit Shah, who condemned both the killings on social media, is scheduled to meet the families of the two deceased during his visit to Bengal towards the end of June.
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Ranchi (PTI): Hemant Soren is set to take oath as the 14th chief minister of Jharkhand in a grand ceremony here on Thursday, which will be attended by several top political leaders, including AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar will administer the oath of office and secrecy to Soren at 4 pm.
This will be the 49-year-old JMM leader's fourth stint as chief minister.
Soren retained the Barhait seat, defeating BJP's Gamliyel Hembrom by a margin of 39,791 votes in the recent assembly polls. The JMM-led alliance stormed to victory, securing 56 seats in the 81-member assembly, while the BJP-led NDA managed 24 seats.
Posters for the event can be seen across the city, while security has been strengthened and traffic regulations put in place.
Schools in Ranchi city are shut on Thursday in view of the swearing in of the Hemant Soren government.
Jharkhand in-charge and Congress general secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir said Soren is likely to take oath alone, and expansion of the cabinet will be held after a vote of confidence in the assembly.
Other senior political leaders likely to be in attendance are NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann and Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, a JMM leader said.
CPI(ML)L general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti and Bihar’s Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav are also likely to attend the oath-taking ceremony.
"It’s heartening to have such esteemed leaders join us for this important occasion," said Soren, who along with senior officials paid a visit to the Morabadi ground on Wednesday evening to take stock of the arrangements.