Another TMC leader killed in Malda, two party workers injured in attack

Malda (WB): Less than a fortnight after the killing of Trinamool Congress (TMC) councillor Dulal Sarkar, fresh violence rocked West Bengal's Malda district as another TMC worker was killed and two others, including a local committee president, were critically injured in an 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 to inaugurate a road.

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

Later in the evening, police claimed no gunshot wound was found on the body of the deceased or the injured.

"The person died after he was repeatedly hit by a brick by the attackers. Two others suffered injuries similarly. According to preliminary investigation, no shots were fired," a police officer said.

Ataul Haque alias Hasu Sheikh, a TMC worker, succumbed to his injuries on the spot. Disturbing video footage showed that as Haque fell to the ground, he was continuously battered with a brick by one of the assailants.

Bakul Sheikh and former panchayat chief Esaruddin Sheikh suffered critical injuries and are undergoing treatment at Malda Medical College and Hospital, where their condition remains serious, police said.

"We are questioning witnesses and others. So far, 10 people have been detained, and six more have been identified,” Malda district police superintendent Pradeep Kumar Yadav said in a statement.

Preliminary investigations suggest the attack might be linked to factionalism within the ruling party, police sources said.

Senior TMC leaders, including English Bazar Municipality Chairman Krishnendu Narayan Choudhury, claimed that external forces, including Bangladeshi infiltrators, might be involved in the attack.

The brother of the deceased, Hasa Sheikh, alleged that Zakir Sheikh, a former Congress member who recently joined the TMC with the help of the Block TMC president, orchestrated the attack due to a longstanding feud with Bakul Sheikh over territorial dominance.

District TMC president Abdur Rahim Boxi, however, denied that Zakir Sheikh is a member of the party, asserting, "Zakir Sheikh is not associated with the TMC. He has a personal enmity with Bakul Sheikh and was motivated by revenge."

Boxi added that a legal dispute between the two individuals had been ongoing.

This attack comes amid heightened tension in Malda following the January 2 killing of TMC district vice-president Dulal Sarkar, who was gunned down in broad daylight near his home.

Seven individuals 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.

The back-to-back killings have intensified speculation about internal strife within the ruling party, raising questions about the TMC's ability to manage factionalism ahead of the crucial panchayat elections.