How Murshidabad murder was given political, communal colour

On October 8, 2019, a family of three – Bandhu Prakash Pal, his pregnant wife and 8-year-old child – was hacked to death in West Bengal’s Murshidabad. A construction worker, Utpal Behara, has been booked for the crime. Behara had reportedly entered the victims’ house armed with a knife. The police have stated “financial dispute” as the motive behind the murders. However, the past week leading up to the arrest was marred with misinformation. Several attempts were made to add communal and political colours to the crime.
BJP politicises the murder Initial local reports carried details of the primary investigation where the police were hinting at personal enmity as the possible motive behind the murders. According to  Anandabazar Patrika ,  the family was killed at around 12 pm on October 8 by an unidentified man who had entered the victims’ home with a knife. The cops initially suspected that a dispute over property triggered the murders. To them, the crime seemed like an “act of revenge”.
A Bengali report in  The Indian Express   also stated that the police were investigating the possibility of a known person’s hand behind the heinous crime.
Less than two days later, the BJP appended a political angle. Attacking West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, BJP MLA Babul Supriyo tweeted,  “Does mother, land and people mean anything to you?” बंगाल किस तरफ बढ़ रहा है?? #MamataBanerjee आपके लिए ‘माँ, माटी,मानुष’ कोई मायने रखते भी है क्या? क्या यही बंगाल चाहिए था हमें? जहां हम दुर्गा और काली माँ की उपासना करते है और दूसरी तरफ एक माँ को उसके बच्चे समेत मौत के घाट उतार दिया जाता है। #WestBengal https://t.co/ksnGHMbIrQ — Babul Supriyo (@SuPriyoBabul) October 10, 2019 Newly-inducted BJP member and MP Gautam Gambhir suggested that the family was linked to the RSS.  “Hope that assoc[iation] with RSS does not deter @MamataOfficial from taking action,”  wrote the former cricketer.
An entire family incl an 8 year old boy killed in the most inhuman & barbaric way. Law&order in Bengal has deteriorated so much that massacres are now being carried out with absolute impunity.Hope that assoc with RSS does not deter @MamataOfficial from taking action #Murshidabad — Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) October 11, 2019 Another BJP MP from West Bengal Arjun Singh directly blamed the TMC for the murder of an ‘RSS’ worker.