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TMC panchayat seat winner shot dead in Bengal district
The victim’s daughter alleged that her father was murdered by TMC workers belonging to a rival faction as he was a contender for the post of the head of the gram panchayat
A Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate who won a gram panchayat seat at Haroa in North 24 Parganas district in the July 8 state-wide elections was shot dead around midnight on Saturday when he was returning home, police said.
The deceased, identified as Sheikh Saheb Ali, was shot multiple times from close range by the assailants who blocked the path of his motorcycle, a district police officer said on condition of anonymity.
“It appeared that the victim was hit by several bullets. Local people claimed to have heard around eight gunshots. An investigation is on. The body has been sent for post mortem,” the officer added.
The victim’s daughter, Simran Parveen, alleged before the police that her father was murdered by TMC workers belonging to a rival faction as he was a contender for the post of pradhan (head) of the local Khasbalanda gram panchayat. Ali did not get the post when the election was held on Saturday.
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Ali’s followers blocked the road where the murder took place and set a motorcycle and an e-rickshaw on fire demanding action against members of the rival faction. They did not let policemen take the body to hospital till 2.30am.
No district TMC leader commented on the murder till noon on Sunday.
Violence marked the panchayat polls last month. Opposition parties have alleged that around 60 people were killed during and after the elections that the TMC swept. Several of the deceased were TMC workers.
With the panchayat boards being formed across Bengal, clashes between workers of rival parties were reported from several districts on Sunday. However, no death was reported till 2.30pm.
