Trinamool Leader Shot Dead, 2 Other Party Workers Injured In Gun Attack In Bengal

Less than a fortnight after the killing of Trinamool Congress councillor Dulal Sarkar, fresh violence erupted in West Bengal's Malda district as another TMC worker was shot dead and two others, including a local committee president, were critically injured in a gun attack on Tuesday, police said.

The incident occurred in the Kaliaganj area under the Kaliachak police station limits when TMC local committee president Bakul Sheikh and other party workers were attending a programme on the inauguration of a road.

Eyewitnesses said that four to five assailants arrived at the scene and fired indiscriminately at Bakul Sheikh and his associates.

Ataul Haque alias Hasu Sheikh, a TMC worker, succumbed to his injuries at the spot, while Bakul Sheikh and former panchayat chief Esaruddin Sheikh suffered critical injuries.

"We are questioning witnesses and others. No arrests have been made in the case so far," a police officer said.

One of the party workers was pronounced dead at Malda Medical College and Hospital, while the other two are under treatment there. Their condition is critical, the officer stated.

According to police sources, the preliminary investigation suggests that the attack might be linked to factionalism within the party.

However, senior TMC leaders, including English Bazar Municipality Chairman Krishnendu Narayan Choudhury, claimed that external forces, including Bangladeshi infiltrators, could be behind the attack.

Tension has been running high in Malda since the January 2 killing of Dulal Sarkar, a district vice-president of the TMC. He was gunned down in broad daylight near his home, allegedly over a dispute related to the sharing of extortion money.

Seven persons were arrested in connection with Sarkar's murder, but the case remains unresolved. The party had expelled its Malda Town president, Narendra Nath Tiwari, who was arrested last week for his alleged involvement in the conspiracy of the murder.

Tuesday's attack has fueled further speculation about infighting within the ruling party.

Local sources claimed that the assailants were acting under the direction of TMC worker Zakir Sheikh, who allegedly had a longstanding feud with Bakul Sheikh over territorial dominance.

The party's Malda district president Abdul Rahim Bokshi, however, said "Zakir Sheikh is not a member of the TMC." The police have launched a manhunt for the accused and cordoned off the area.

The back-to-back killings have cast a shadow over the TMC's internal dynamics in Malda, raising questions about the ability of the party authorities to manage factionalism ahead of the upcoming panchayat elections.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)