Kolkata: 61 year old Trinamool Congress The activist, who was injured in a political clash at Bhangar in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district on the eve of July 8 panchayat elections, died on Saturday, an official said.
TMC raised the accusing finger Indian Secular Front (ISF) of the murder, but the opposition party rejected the allegation.
On the night of July 7, hours before the commencement of the panchayat elections, Sheikh Moslem was seriously injured in an attack with rods in Bhangar when he was passing through a forested area. He died at a private hospital in Kolkata, the official said.
TMC MLA from Canning Purba, Saukat Mollaentrusted with the responsibility of overseeing party activity in Bhangar, alleged that the Muslim was attacked “without any provocation” by ISF cadres who have spread a reign of terror in the area.
Bhangar is an ISF stronghold and the party’s lone MLA is also from the same constituency.
ISF MLA Navsad Siddiqui denied the involvement of his party workers in any violence and demanded that a high-level impartial inquiry should be conducted “to uncover the truth behind such deaths”.
Siddiqui claimed that it was TMC goons who attacked and killed several ISF workers in the recent past.
Police sources said that with the death of the Moslem, the death toll in panchayat poll-related violence has risen to 39 since the announcement of the election date on June 8. Most of the people who lost their lives were associated with TMC.
BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar alleged that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has failed to stop this culture of political violence, due to which so many lives have been lost.
“Every death is unfortunate and tragic. This should not have happened…Why should panchayat elections become synonymous with bullets and bombs, violence and loss of lives only in West Bengal?”
Meanwhile, a man was stabbed to death at Canning in South 24 Parganas district on Friday night.
The TMC claimed that he was a party supporter and accused the ISF of being involved in the murder.
However, police sources could not confirm whether it was a political murder or not.
(with PTI inputs)
TMC raised the accusing finger Indian Secular Front (ISF) of the murder, but the opposition party rejected the allegation.
On the night of July 7, hours before the commencement of the panchayat elections, Sheikh Moslem was seriously injured in an attack with rods in Bhangar when he was passing through a forested area. He died at a private hospital in Kolkata, the official said.
TMC MLA from Canning Purba, Saukat Mollaentrusted with the responsibility of overseeing party activity in Bhangar, alleged that the Muslim was attacked “without any provocation” by ISF cadres who have spread a reign of terror in the area.
Bhangar is an ISF stronghold and the party’s lone MLA is also from the same constituency.
ISF MLA Navsad Siddiqui denied the involvement of his party workers in any violence and demanded that a high-level impartial inquiry should be conducted “to uncover the truth behind such deaths”.
Siddiqui claimed that it was TMC goons who attacked and killed several ISF workers in the recent past.
Police sources said that with the death of the Moslem, the death toll in panchayat poll-related violence has risen to 39 since the announcement of the election date on June 8. Most of the people who lost their lives were associated with TMC.
BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar alleged that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has failed to stop this culture of political violence, due to which so many lives have been lost.
“Every death is unfortunate and tragic. This should not have happened…Why should panchayat elections become synonymous with bullets and bombs, violence and loss of lives only in West Bengal?”
Meanwhile, a man was stabbed to death at Canning in South 24 Parganas district on Friday night.
The TMC claimed that he was a party supporter and accused the ISF of being involved in the murder.
However, police sources could not confirm whether it was a political murder or not.
(with PTI inputs)