Violence erupts after TMC leader's murder

Tension broke out at a village in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district in the early hours of Monday after a local Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader was allegedly shot dead by four unidentified assailants, resulting in a retaliatory attack by residents who thrashed one of the purported accused to death, police said.

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A second accused, who was allegedly involved in the killing of the TMC leader, was also thrashed by local residents. He was rushed to a hospital for treatment by police and was arrested later in the day, police said. The TMC leader's murder also led to an angry mob ransacking and setting ablaze at least 15 houses in a neighbouring village, prompting police to deploy a large contingent of force in the area. The murder and retaliatory killing are reminiscent of the Bogtui massacre in Birbhum district in March last year, wherein 10 people were burnt alive in retaliation to the murder of a local TMC leader Bhadu Sheikh. The Central Bureau of Investigation is probing the two killings.

According to police officials, Saifuddin Laskar (47), TMC area president of Bamangachi area in Joynagar -55 km south of Kolkata - was shot dead by four bike-borne men from close range near his house, when he went out to offer prayers around 5am on Monday.