The elderly mother of a BJP worker in Hooghly died under contested circumstances early on Saturday, with the BJP making contradictory claims over an alleged police raid and cops denying having conducted any such operation in the area.

After the death of Haripal resident Basanti Koley, 59, the BJP had initially alleged that she had been hit by police bullets, but later altered the version and claimed that she suffered a heart attack while being chased by the police.

The Trinamul Congress accused the BJP of politicising a “natural death”.

The police said they had raided another area after BJP supporters demanding the return of cut money had set ablaze a Trinamul leader’s car.

“There is no police connection in the death of Basanti. A police team had conducted a raid on Friday night after the car of a local Trinamul leader was set afire, but not in the Raipara area (where Basanti lived),” said Tathagata Basu, district police chief of Hooghly (rural). “Doctors have said the death was the result of cardiac failure. As it is a natural death, we have nothing to do with it,” he added.

Basanti’s son Dilip is a known BJP worker.