A Trinamool Congress (TMC) councillor was shot by two unidentified men in West Bengal's Malda district on Thursday morning, police said.
Dulal Sarkar, who was a "close associate" of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, was shot in his head multiple times from close range in Jhaljhalia More area. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to injuries, the police added.
The motive behind the attack could not be immediately ascertained.
CCTV visuals of the crime show Sarkar rushing inside a shop, as he is chased by the accused. The accused also enter the shop and fire multiple shots at the TMC leader, before fleeing the spot.
"A probe has been initiated and we are trying to identify the culprits," a senior police officer was quoted as saying by PTI.
Ms Banerjee expressed shock over the killing of Sarkar, who was popularly known as Babla.
"My close associate and a very popular leader, Babla Sarkar, has been murdered today. From the beginning of the Trinamool Congress, he (and his wife Chaitali Sarkar) worked hard for the party, and Babla was also elected a councillor," she said in a post on X.
"... I am so shocked and sad that I do not know how to convey my condolences to the bereaved family. May God give Chaitali strength to survive and fight the battle," she added.
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