TMC worker shot dead in Murshidabad by bike-borne attackers

Trinamool Congress worker Pradeep Dutt was shot dead by unidentified bike-borne attackers in Berhampur on Wednesday morning. The murder, which occurred around 6 am in the Radha Ghat-1 Gram Panchayat area, has heightened political tensions in the region, with authorities now investigating whether the killing was the result of political rivalry or personal enmity.

Pradeep Dutt, a resident of Nathpada and an active member of the Trinamool Congress, was returning home from his morning walk when three assailants on motorcycles surrounded him. According to eyewitnesses, the attackers fired seven bullets at Pradeep, killing him on the spot. Despite his attempt to flee after being shot, the assailants chased him and fired again before speeding away from the scene.

The brutal murder has shocked the local community. Residents who heard the gunfire rushed to the scene and found Pradeep lying in a pool of blood near a field. He was immediately transported to the hospital, but doctors declared him dead on arrival. The police were promptly informed, and they arrived at the crime scene shortly after to begin their investigation.

Eyewitness Mantu Devnath, who was nearby when the shooting occurred, described the chaos that ensued. "We were drinking tea when we suddenly heard a loud blast. At first, we thought it was a firecracker, but then we heard women screaming. We rushed outside and saw Pradeep Dutt lying on the ground, soaked in blood," Mantu said. Local women confirmed that three men on a bike had fired at Pradeep from close range before fleeing.

Pradeep was known in the area for his plywood and glass business in Berhampur market and his involvement in local politics. His murder is the second violent attack on a Trinamool worker in Murshidabad this week. Just two days earlier, TMC worker Alai Sheikh was killed in a bombing incident in Salar, for which three suspects have already been arrested. This latest killing has only fueled concerns about the rising political violence in the district.