BJP MLAs walked out of the Bengal Assembly on Monday to protest alleged break-down in the law and order in the state following the murder of two municipal councillors on Sunday evening.

Trinamul Congress councillor at Panihati municipality Anupam Dutta and Jhalda’s Congress councillor Tapan Kandu were shot dead in a span of two hours.

BJP MLAs led by chief whip Manoj Tigga staged a demonstration at the portico of the Assembly demanding a statement from chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who is also the home minister. The MLAs carried posters with pictures of Dutta and Kandu and shouted slogans against the government.

“We demanded a statement from the chief minister who is also the state’s home minister,” Tigga later told this newspaper. He asked if the safety and security of two elected public representatives was not ensured, how ordinary citizens could live in peace.

“The political affiliations of the murdered councillors is not important to us. What is important is the fact that two people fell prey to the deteriorating law and order in the state,” Tigga added.

Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari was not present in the Assembly on Monday. But he took to his twitter account on Sunday to take a dig at the government. “Law and order is crumbling in WB. If elected representatives don't have security, how would the general public feel safe?” Adhikari tweeted tagging governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, the Union home ministry, the Election Commission and the Bengal chief electoral office.

State BJP president and MP Sukanta Majumdar said the murder of Dutta was a result of a faction fight in Trinamul. “It is clear in Panihati, the tussle was over the chairmanship and hence, this murder took place,” he said.

State Congress chief and MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury visited Kandu’s residence in Jhalda on Monday.

Chowdhury alleged that the murder had been conspired by Trinamul and local police. “I would like to ask the chief minister: Doesn’t she see what is happening?”

About 1,000 Congress workers gheraoed the Jhalda police station after Chowdhury and the other leaders left the spot. The student wing of the party took out a rally in Calcutta over this issue.
Minister and Trinamul leader Firhad Hakim said one should not jump into conclusions over such things, unless a thorough probe was done.