West Bengal: Communal violence at Basirhat claims its first victim

The communal clash at Basirhat claimed its first casualty on Thursday. Kartik Chandra Ghosh, 65, a resident of Paikpara of Basirhat sub-division had been attacked allegedly by people of a different community on Wednesday and had been admitted to the state-run RG Kar Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries on Thursday.

Sources said that he was stabbed multiple times around 1.30 pm on Wednesday as he was returning from the market where he had a grocery and chicken shop. Hospital sources said that another person, Fazlur Islam, who had also been injured in the clash, was brought to the hospital. An official said that a CT Scan was done on Islam and he was stable, but Ghosh passed away around 8 am on Thursday.

It was also found out that he had multiple head injuries. The body had been sent for a post-mortem.

The death had triggered a political turbulence. There was huge police posting since morning at the hospital and state BJP leaders who went to the hospital to express solidarity met with heavy resistance from TMC supporters. Party National Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, state BJP president Dilip Ghosh and senior BJP leader Locket Chatterjee were among the ones who visited the hospital on Thursday.

"Our party member has been killed. We had come to extend our support to the family members but have not been let in. TMC supporters were chanting slogans and prevented us from entering the place. Everything was done in the presence of police personnel," Vijayvargiya said.

Ghosh added that just like the entire state, the hospital too had been 'taken over by TMC goons'.