July 13, 2020: West Bengal BJP MLA Debendra Nath Ray was found hanging in an open verandah outside a shop on Monday morning at Hemtabad in North Dinajpur district.

The market where the MLA was found dead is about one kilometre away from his home.

Locals spotted his hanging body and informed the police.

As per report, at least one member of his family has claimed that some people had come to the house at 1 am and called him away. The MLA's family has demanded a probe into his death.

A Senior District Police Officer said, "Ray was found hanging near a shop at Hemtabad area this (Monday) morning. We have started an investigation".

Debendra Nath Ray had contested and won the Hemtabad assembly segment - a reserved seat for Scheduled Castes - on a CPM ticket backed by the Congress in 2016 but had switched over to the BJP last year after the Lok Sabha election.

The BJP has claimed that the MLA was murdered. BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya said in a tweet, "No end to the killing of BJP leaders in Bengal. The BJP MLA who had left the TMC has been murdered. Was it because he joined the BJP?"

Taking to Twitter BJP Chief JP Nadda tweeted, “The suspected heinous killing of Debendra Nath Ray, BJP MLA from Hemtabad in West Bengal, is extremely shocking and deplorable. This speaks of the Gunda Raj & failure of law and order in the Mamta govt. People will not forgive such a govt in the future. We strongly condemn this”.