The Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the BJP entered into a war of words on Saturday over the post-mortem examination of a saffron party worker at the Army’s Command Hospital. The report is yet to be made public.
Arjun Chaurasia (26), a BJP worker, was found dead in an abandoned building in north Kolkata’s Cossipore area in the early hours of Friday. Following a Calcutta High Court order, the post-mortem was conducted at the Command Hospital. Two doctors, one each from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Kalyani, in Nadia district and the state- run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, were present during the autopsy. Videography of the entire process was also conducted.
State Transport Minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim expressed doubts over the authenticity of the post-mortem report from the Command Hospital. “The Command Hospital is a central government entity. Union Home Minister Amit Shah described the death as a political murder. The murder theory was invented in advance to create pressure on those conducting the post-mortem. I request the honorable court to look into this matter,” claimed Hakim.
The BJP was quick to counter Hakim’s claim. Party leader Kalyan Choubey said, “A doctor from state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital was present during the autopsy along with a representative from AIIMS, Kalyani. So, the doubts expressed by Firhad Hakim are baseless.”
Earlier in the day, BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh said that a “genuine post-mortem report” will emerge from the Command Hospital.
“There have been post-mortems (on the body of BJP workers killed in post-poll violence) and doubts were raised on those reports. A second post-mortem was conducted on one of our party workers last year. So we knew that right post-mortem will not be conducted in state-run hospitals,” he said.
CCTV cameras were installed outside Chaurasia’s house in Cossipore area, it is learned. Also, there was one camera fitted at the place where his body was found.
Meanwhile, after the post-mortem, Chaurasia’s body was first taken to the BJP’s state headquarters in central Kolkata where senior party leaders paid him tributes. From there, it was taken to his residence and then to a crematorium.
Cutting short his trip in north Bengal, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday visited the party worker’s house, alleging that it was a “political murder” and demanded a CBI inquiry into it.
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