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TMC leader shot in West Bengal's Coochbehar, party blames BJP
The accused arrived in a car and fled after firing the shots, leaving behind their vehicle, he added. The car has been impounded.
A Trinamool Congress leader, Raju Dey, was injured after he was shot in West Bengal’s Coochbehar district by unidentified men on Thursday night, said police. The incident happened near Coochbehar’s Jhinaidanga area at 11 pm on Thursday.
Raju Dey is the ‘karmadhyaksha’ of Cooch Behar Block 2 Panchayat Samity, reported PTI.
“The bullet struck his right shoulder. He was taken to a nearby hospital by party workers, and his condition is stated to be stable,” PTI quoted a police officer as saying.
The accused arrived in a car and fled after firing the shots, leaving behind their vehicle, he added. The car has been impounded.
A probe into the matter is underway.
While Trinamool has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of being behind the attack, the latter has rejected the charge and said that it happened due to Trinamool’s infighting.
Another Trinamool leader was also attacked on Thursday, allegedly by a group of agitated workers of the party. The group vandalised the car of West Bengal mass education extension and library department minister Siddiqullah Chowdhury when he was visiting Monteswar, his assembly constituency in East Burdwan district.
The police arrested five people for their alleged involvement in the attack on Friday, reported PTI.
"We are probing into the matter. Raids were conducted in the district, and so far, five people have been arrested. We have got evidence of their direct involvement in the attack," PTI quoted a police officer as saying.
“Stones were pelted at my car and other vehicles in my convoy. The windshields were smashed. This was an attempt to kill me. The attack was planned by a corrupt TMC panchayat leader. The local police witnessed everything but took no action. I have contacted senior officials,” Chowdhury had said.
Chowdhury, who is also president of the West Bengal unit of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, contested the Monteswar seat for the first time for TMC in 2021 and won by around 26,000 votes, defeating his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) counterpart.
