The gruesome triple murder case in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district has led to a huge uproar with several social media users calling it a political murder. But BOOM spoke to Rashtriya Swayamasevak Sangh (RSS) leaders and BJP State President Dilip Ghosh, who have downplayed any such links, stating that the victim - Bandhu Prakash pal - had joined the organisation recently.
Bandhu Prakash Pal (35), a school teacher in Murshidabad’s Jiaganj was gruesomely hacked to death along with his eight months pregnant wife Beauty Pal (30) and their six-year old son, in their home on October 8, 2019. The bodies of the couple and their son were found on Tuesday afternoon. Stab wounds were found on all the three bodies but the child was also strangulated with a towel, the Hindustan Times reported citing a police officer.
Police have said that they are yet to make any arrests in the case so far.
BOOM contacted Biplab Roy, RSS’ Prachar Pramukh of South Bengal, who questioned any political motive to the killings.
Roy said, “Pal had recently joined the RSS. However, it is hard to believe that he was killed because of joining the Sangh. He was too junior to have lost his life along with his family’s. We are not ruling out a personal motive behind the murder.”
State president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Dilip Ghosh, also denied the role of Pal’s political ideologies in the murder. “It is unlikely that a karyakarta who had attended just a few meetings, would be killed. But the lawlessness of Bengal definitely needs to be questioned,” added Ghosh.
BOOM also reached out to Mukesh Kumar, Superintendent of Police, Murshidabad, who denied any political angle to the murders.
“We have not come across any such motive that imply Pal was killed for being an RSS member,” Kumar told BOOM. “Neither his family nor the neighbours have hinted at the same.”
The West Bengal Police on October 11 tweeted stating that the according to prima facie investigation political motive could be ruled out.
Gruesome images of the three lying separately have since gone viral on social media with many including Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) politicians speculating that the murders were because of Pal’s association with the RSS. The RSS is the ideological parent of the BJP.
Below are the screenshots of a few of the tweets. BOOM has chosen not to include the images as they are disturbing in nature.
News Outlets Fuel Political Murder Angle
Despite local RSS leaders downplaying a political motive for the murder, several mainstream news channels fueled speculation around the case.
Zee News’ bulletin identified Pal as an RSS karyakarta, who was hacked to death in “Mamata’s Bengal.” The bulletin was titled as the “Sacrifice of Swayamsevak in Bengal,” introduced Pal as an active member of the Sangh. However, the West Bengal correspondent of the media house did not state any political angle to the killings.
Times Now used the hashtag 'RSS Worker Butchered' for the story with a loaded tweet claiming, "Man, his pregnant wife & son butchered in @MamataOfficial's Bengal. 49 celebs slam 'saffron terror', but now sit in total silence. "
Meanwhile, veteran actress Aparna Sen in a tweet condemned the murders and appealed to the West Bengal chief minister to bring the perpetrators to justice.