Kolkata, February 9 The BJP staged a protest in Barrackpore, West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district, on Monday, demanding the death penalty for a TMC councillor who was arrested for allegedly assaulting and killing an 80-year-old man.
The opposition party also alleged that Rabindra Nath Bhattacharya, a councillor of North Barrackpore Municipality and a lawyer, was being given "VIP treatment" while in police custody.
BJP workers, led by former MP Arjun Singh and Barrackpore organisational district BJP president Tapas Ghosh, marched from Mahatma Gandhi's statue at Chiria More and reached near the Barrackpore court.
The activists breached police barricades and staged a sit-in for some time, disrupting traffic and leading to heated arguments and minor scuffles with police personnel.
Bhattacharya was arrested after allegedly attacking Tulsi Adhikari (80) for protesting against illegal construction in front of his house in ward number 23. Adhikari collapsed on Saturday and was declared dead at a hospital in Barrackpore Cantonment, police said.
The ruling TMC suspended Bhattacharya for six years following his arrest. TMC MP Partha Bhowmick said the party has adopted a "zero-tolerance" stance in the matter.
"The councillor has been suspended from the party for six years. The police will take their own course of action. The party will not shield anyone involved in such an act," Bhowmick said.
Bhattacharya had earlier dismissed the allegations as "baseless and politically motivated", claiming that he was the victim.
During Monday's protest, BJP leaders alleged that the accused was being given preferential treatment in custody and demanded exemplary punishment.
"We are protesting the VIP treatment given by the police to the councillor," Singh said.
"We are lifting the sit-in for the sake of students appearing for the Madhyamik (class 10 state board) examinations. But once the exams are over, we will launch a larger movement demanding justice if it is not delivered," Singh said.