TMC leader shot dead in Bengal’s Nadia; probe on

A panchayat-level leader of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) was shot dead by a gang of masked assailants in West Bengal's Nadia district on Friday morning, police said.  A police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the victim, Amod Ali Biswas, was himself accused in the murder case.

According to the police, Biswas, a resident of Boro Chupria village in Hanskahli, was going to the local market when he was detained by unidentified men who covered their faces with clothes. "He was shot. When he tried to escape, the miscreants chased him and shot him again. They then fled on the motorcycles they had come on," said the police officer, adding that the incident occurred at around eight in the morning.

"An investigation is underway. We have started questioning several people," the police officer said, adding that no one has been arrested yet.

Earlier in the day, another panchayat-level TMC leader, her husband and their daughter were hacked to death in Sitalkuchi in West Bengal's Cooch Behar district around 4:40 am. Police said another daughter of the deceased couple was seriously injured and is fighting for her life in hospital.

“The main accused was caught by the locals and assaulted. He was admitted to the hospital. We have detained two more persons for questioning,” said an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer from Cooch Behar.

The incidents took place ahead of the crucial panchayat polls in the state, which are likely to be held in the next few months. Voting dates are likely to be published in the coming days.