Cooch Behar man shot, BJP says he’s partyman

Jalpaiguri: A 34-year-old jeweller was shot dead on Wednesday by masked men at his Cooch Behar shop, barely a kilometre from the hotel where chief minister Mamata Banerjee is staying, sparking a political slugfest and a clash between protesters and police.
The BJP claimed that deceased Prantosh Saha was a party supporter and staged a dharna in front of Kotwali police station, a stone’s throw from the crime scene.The Trinamool Congress promptly rubbished the claim. Police later arrested six persons for inciting mob fury. The authorities have deployed central forces in the town to stem violence.
According to preliminary investigation, Saha arrived at his jewellery store around 9am like every day. He was seated inside when two bikers stopped in front of the shop, walked in wearing masks and shot him twice from close range. Saha, who took a bullet each in the chest and throat, died on the spot. As the gunshots drew a crowd, the bikers fired two more rounds in the air and sped away.
While Kotwali thana is some 700 metres away and police were immediately informed, a team reached the spot allegedly an hour and a half later. This angered local residents who mobbed policemen, burnt tyres and blocked the road in protest. Police had to lathi-charge and lob tear gas shells to disperse the crowd that was blocking the approach to Saha’s store.
BJP supporters, led by Bhushan Singh who recently defected to BJP from Trinamool, staged a dharna outside the police station demanding release of those arrested. The dharna was lifted after police officers assured the BJP members that the killers would be identified and arrested without delay.