Two Trinamul workers were shot dead in different incidents in Alipurduar and North Dinajpur districts on Tuesday night.

Tushar Roy was shot dead allegedly by a section of party workers in Alipurduar for protesting the sale of illicit liquor and extortion. Subodh Bayen was killed by an alleged BJP worker in North Dinajpur

Roy was based in Tapshikhata, 8km from Alipurduar town.

Around 10pm, Shambhu Roy, the Trinamul upa-pradhan of Paropar panchayat, along with Sona alias Bappa Roy, a Trinamul member of the panchayat and their associates, intercepted Tapan, Tushar’s brother.

“They beat him as both the brothers were vocal against extortion from traders. The attackers were also involved in the sale of hooch. Tushar rushed to the spot and tried to save his brother. Shambhu and others attacked him and suddenly, he took out a firearm and shot Tushar on his head. He died on the spot,” said Amulya Chandra Roy, Tushar’s uncle.

Tushar used to work as a civic volunteer but had recently left the job and joined another contractual job.

The family members and neighbours demonstrated and didn’t allow police to take the body away, demanding the arrest of Shambhu, Sona and two others.

The police arrested Sona on Wednesday afternoon and were allowed to take away the body to Alipurduar district hospital for post-mortem.

The area wore a deserted look on Wednesday. All shops remained closed throughout the day.

In the afternoon, a section of residents torched four shops, which were allegedly owned by the associates of Shambhu and from where illicit liquor was sold.

Sona was produced in the additional chief judicial magistrate’s court in Alipurduar and remanded in police custody for eight days.

District Trinamul leaders said the law would take its own course.

“Such an attack is reprehensible,” said Mohan Sharma, the Alipurduar district chief of the party.

In North Dinajpur, Subodh Bayen, 65, a senior Trinamul leader and a former pradhan, was shot by a youth while he was returning home on Tuesday night.

He had gone to attend a “kirtan’ and was on way to home at Hasan village under Dalkhola police station when Uttam Sarkar, a suspected BJP supporter, stopped him and shot him on the head and chest.

Bayen collapsed at the spot and was taken to the sub-divisional hospital in Islampur where doctors pronounced him dead.

Police arrested Uttam on Wednesday afternoon.

BJP leaders have denied the allegation. “We condemn the incident but it has no connection with our party,” said a district BJP leader.