Just hours before the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal, a Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader was allegedly murdered by BJP workers in Mahishadal in West Bengal’s East Midnapore district on Friday night.
In response to a complaint filed by the TMC, authorities have arrested five people believed to be involved in the incident, The Indian Express reports.
Sheikh Moibul (42), local TMC leader, formerly served as a gram panchayat member and held the position of district vice-president in the party’s youth wing, was fatally attacked as he returned home on Friday evening, according to police.
Police sources indicate that Moibul had been returning from a party meeting in the Betkundu area of Mahishadal when he engaged in a verbal dispute with alleged BJP workers along his route. Subsequently, the altercation escalated into a violent confrontation, during which the TMC leader was assaulted with sharp weapons.
“A senior police official from the district revealed that Moibul was initially taken to a nearby hospital, from where he was referred to another facility in Tamluk. Unfortunately, he succumbed to his injuries there. The body has been dispatched for post-mortem examination,” the police officer said.
The Election Commission has requested a report on the actions taken regarding the incident from the administration of East Midnapore district.
Currently, voting is ongoing in two Lok Sabha constituencies within East Midnapore district.
Meanwhile, Abhijit Gangopadhyay, the BJP candidate from Tamluk, has alleged that the district, particularly Nandigram, is witnessing violence sanctioned by the state.
“State-sponsored violence is going on. The police are being used to terrorise the BJP workers and voters. About six BJP workers have been arrested in Nandigram with an aim to show that TMC is ahead there,” the former Calcutta High Court judge said.