A Trinamool Congress leader of Humaipur gram panchayat area in Bengal’s Murshidabad district was shot dead on Friday afternoon when he was travelling in a car on a state highway.
Around 2:40 pm, Safiul Hasan (43), the convener of the ruling party unit in Humaipur gram panchayat area, was heading to Hariharpara block development office in his SUV when he was attacked by unidentified men in another car that blocked Hasan’s vehicle.
“The assailants compelled Hasan to get down from his car. They shot four bullets into Hasan from very close range,” said Shamsujjoha Biswas, Hariharpara block TMC president.
Hasan’s wife Ardosha Bibi is the pradhan of the TMC-run Humaipur gram panchayat, about 200 kms away from Kolkata. Hasan was the president of Lalnagar High School in the area.
Though police officers said Hasan had a few criminal charges against him including murder and criminal intimidation, a political blame game took off immediately.
Arit Majumdar , Berhampore sub-division president of the TMC, said, ”Hasan led the TMC to perform well in the elections when we got a lead in the Lok Sabha elections in the area. We suspect Congress-backed goons are behind his murder.”
{{/usCountry}}Arit Majumdar , Berhampore sub-division president of the TMC, said, ”Hasan led the TMC to perform well in the elections when we got a lead in the Lok Sabha elections in the area. We suspect Congress-backed goons are behind his murder.”
{{/usCountry}}The area comes under Murshidabad Lok Sabha constituency that the ruling party won. TMC also won the Hariharpara Assembly seat in 2016.
Incidentally, on June 15, three TMC workers Khairuddin Sheikh, Sohel Rana and Rahidul Sheikh were killed in Domkal area of the same district. Ruling party leaders had alleged the role of goons backed by the Congress and Left parties in that crime.
On Friday, district Congress spokesperson Jayanta Das retorted, “The murder of Saiful Hasan is an outcome of the factional fights of the TMC. It’s an outcome of turf fight.”
“We have started investigation, but none has been arrested yet,” said a police officer of Hariharpara police station in the evening.
About three-four men were travelling with Hasan in his car. They along with the driver fled from the area after the murder.
Hariharpara block TMC president Shamsujjoha Biswas said, “Hasan was attacked earlier too. Those who could not kill him earlier could be behind the attack.”