BJP's politics over Manish Shukla's body torments people

Kolkata: The city once again witnessed BJP's politics over a body on Monday that not only caused a massive inconvenience to commoners at NRS Medical College and Hospital since morning but also left the central business district badly choked at the evening rush hours.

BJP's politics over the dead has come to the fore with the murder of its party leader Manish Shukla, who was shot dead at Titagarh in North 24-Parganas on Sunday night.

The Kolkata Police played a crucial role as it not only helped people get health service at NRS Medical College and Hospital, but most importantly did not allow the BJP leaders and workers to take Shukla's body to Raj Bhavan after the post mortem. According to the experts, they had attempted to take the body to Raj Bhavan considering that Governor Jagdeep Dhakhar would pay his last respect to the slain BJP leader. It would have been an unprecedented moment in the state's history if the body had been taken to Raj Bhavan.

BJP leaders including Arvind Mennon, Kailash Vijayvargiya, Arjun Singh and Locket Chatterjee went to the hospital premises along with the party workers at the hospital as Shukla's body was taken there for post mortem. They demanded to be allowed to enter the hospital, where Covid treatment is also going on. Despite repeated requests by the police to clear the place as it was causing inconvenience in providing smooth health service at the hospital as an ambulance could not enter with the agitation going on at the entrance of the hospital, the party leaders and workers continued the agitation. Finally, police allowed some leaders to enter the hospital.

A senior official of the hospital said: "Treatment of both Covid and non-Covid patients are taking place at the hospital. There are 110 Covid beds at the hospital. The police has immensely helped in keeping the health service in the hospital normal as much as possible by tackling the situation properly."

Again, in the evening when the body was handed over after the autopsy, BJP supporters demanded that the mortal remains of Shukla be taken to Raj Bhavan. As a result, homebound commuters were greatly inconvenienced. The police had made all the arrangements to take the hearse to the house of Shukla to Barrackpore.

When the mortal remains of Shukla were handed over to his father, the BJP leadership present at the NRS Medical College and Hospital campus decided to go to Raj Bhavan seeking the intervention of the Governor. They said it was the wish of the father that the mortal remains of the slain leader be taken to Raj Bhavan as he would seek intervention of the Governor. The hearse along with BJP leaders and workers moved towards Raj Bhavan via SN Banerjee Road. This caused a massive traffic bottleneck. The BJP team was stopped near the KMC headquarters by a police team led by Sudheerkumar Neelakantam, deputy commissioner, central division. BJP supporters scuffled with the police. Finally, it was decided that a four member BJP delegation led by Kailash Vijayvargiya and Arjun Singh meet the Governor. Later, the hearse made its way to Barrackpore.