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Trinamool Congress panchayat leader killed in bomb attack in Bengal village
KOLKATA: Bhadu Sheikh, the deputy chief of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) controlled Barshal village panchayat in the Rampurhat area of Bengal’s Birbhum district was killed in a bomb attack on Monday evening, police said
KOLKATA: Bhadu Sheikh, the deputy chief of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) controlled Barshal village panchayat in the Rampurhat area of Bengal’s Birbhum district was killed in a bomb attack on Monday evening, police said.
Bhadu Sheikh was attacked by four men on motorcycles who had their faces covered, witnesses told the police. He was declared dead on arrival at Rampurhat government hospital.
The incident was alleged to be the fallout of rivalry between two factions of the ruling party. Several houses were ransacked and set on fire after the murder. A huge police contingent was rushed to the village, an officer from Rampurhat police station said on condition of anonymity.
The murder took place a week after two newly-elected councillors of the TMC and Congress were shot dead in Bengal.
TMC’s Anupam Dutta and Tapan Kandu of the Congress were killed in North 24 Parganas and Purulia districts respectively on March 13, days after they won the municipal polls held on February 27. Four people have been arrested in these cases.
A Birbhum district police officer said Bhadu Sheikh’s brother, Babar Sheikh, was shot dead a year ago in the same village.
Anarul Hossain, the Rampurhat-1 community block unit president of the TMC, said he has asked party workers to remain calm and to not indulge in any act of reprisal.
A police contingent remained stationed at Barshal till late night. “An investigation has started but no arrests have been made so far,” said an officer.
TMC Birbhum district president Anubrata Mondal said the police will definitely nab the killers.
“Footage of security cameras installed around the crime scene are being examined,” Mondal said.
