Trinamul’s all-India general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday sought answers from the BJP-led central government and the party over the BSF’s alleged atrocities in Rajbanshi-dominated villages and on statehood.

Addressing a crowd of around 70,000 at Mathabhanga in Cooch Behar, Abhishek referred to the December 24 death of Prem Kumar Barman, a 24-year-old migrant worker.

Prem died when the BSF reportedly shot pellets at him on the suspicion that he was a cattle smuggler.

“What was the fault of this Rajbanshi youth? He was strolling on a field when the BSF fired at him. In all, 180 pellet pieces were retrieved from his body. This is blatant proof of BSF’s atrocities...,” he said, waving Prem’s autopsy report.

Calling Prem’s parents Sukhmani and Shiben on the dais, he said: “We want the Prime Minister, the home minister, and his deputy Nisith Pramanik, elected from here, to clarify on the issue within 48 hours. The BJP pretends to be Rajbanshi sympathisers but central security forces gun down innocent youths....”

Abhishek continued: “Some BJP leaders said they are against partition of (the BJP-ruled) Assam and Tripura. But leaders of the same party here are speaking for a state or Union territory in north Bengal. We want BJP state and central leaders to jointly clear their stand.”