Murshidabad triple murder reflects ‘state of govt affairs’, says Guv; TMC hits back

“I am shocked, distressed and pained at the inhuman brutal killing of a school teacher, his wife and his son in Murshidabad district. This is a critical reflection of the state of affairs and the law and order of West Bengal,” Dhankhar told PTI.

The Governor said he has sought a report on the triple murder from the state government on an urgent basis and urged the law enforcement agencies to pursue the culprits and bring them to book.

While talking to reporters later, Dhankhar said, “My honest appeal to all those engaged in the probe… Please, let there be a fair-minded investigation which must not be inspired by any other consideration. This is too critical to be put under the carpet. We must respect the law, and maintain law and order in all the situations,” he told reporters.

“The gruesome killing has put humanity to shame. But there has been no response from state machinery, so far…The incident is a reflection of intolerance and worrisome law and order situation,” a Raj Bhavan statement said in the evening.

The Governor has appropriately flagged the issue to the DGP and chief secretary for an urgent update on the situation, the statement said.

TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee claimed that Dhankhar is demeaning the post of the governor by crossing his constitutional limits.

“We are keeping a watch. He is making politically motivated and untrue statements. He should show some restraint,” Chatterjee said.

Claiming that the killing might be a result of infighting within the BJP, he said, alleging that the saffron camp is using the governor to hide the truth.

“We too are pained by the killing of an entire family. But we can’t support the statement made by the Governor. He never makes any statement or his heart does not bleed when TMC workers are killed. He refrains from sparing a word against the BJP that is behind the violence in the state,” senior TMC leader Tapas Roy said.

BJP targets CM, TMC says don’t politicise

Tuesday’s triple murder in Murshidabad district took on a political colour on Thursday with the BJP targeting the Mamata Banerjee government over the killings.

BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya hit out at Chief Minister, questioning her over the law and order situation in the state. “An RSS worker, his wife and son were brutally killed in Murshidabad. How can we believe in the law and order situation of a state where the lives of the common man are not secured? I want to ask Mamata Didi what is happening in your state,” said Vijayvargiya even as pro-BJP social media accounts were flooded with the gory pictures and videos of the murder.

Hitting back at the BJP for “politicising the murder, TMC spokesperson of Murshidabad, Ashok Das, said: “It is unfortunate that the BJP is trying a create a political storm out of this. A crime has been committed and the police are looking into it. There is no need to politicise the incident.”

Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad condemned the murder, saying in a tweet, “Hope liberals will find it ghastly enough to empathise with the bereaved family if not condemn and criticise it outrightly.”

(With PTI inputs)