The 12-hour bandh call given by the BJP in Kalyani subdivision of West Bengal's Nadia district on Monday against the alleged killing of its "party worker" evoked a mixed response as many shops were closed but vehicular movement remained normal, officials said.
A 34-year-old man, identified as Bijoy Sil, was found hanging from a tree near his house in Gayeshpur town on Sunday.
The BJP alleged he was murdered by the TMC for leaving the ruling party in the state and joining the saffron party. The TMC has dismissed the allegation.
A motorbike rally brought out by the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the youth wing of the BJP, in Gayeshpur during the bandh that started at 6 am was stopped by the police.
The law enforcers also detained some BJYM activists for trying to disrupt normal life and conducted patrolling in various areas of the subdivision, sources said.
"Sil had quit the TMC and joined the BJP before last year's Lok Sabha elections. He was murdered for joining the saffron party and his role in increasing the BJP's influence in Gayeshpur municipality area," the deceased's nephew and BJYM town vice-president Bappa Sil said.
Sil's wife and parents, however, claimed he was a daily wager and did not have links with any political party.
Gayeshpur Municipality chairman and TMC leader Maran Kumar Dey also dismissed the BJP's allegation and said Sil died by suicide.