The officer-in-charge of Kankartala police station, Partha Sarathi Mukherjee, was removed from his post on Monday night in the wake of the murder of local Trinamul leader Dipak Ghosh.

Police sources said the removal of the officer was because of pressure from a section in the Birbhum Trinamul leadership and allegation by Ghosh’s family that Mukherjee didn’t pay heed to their repeated warnings that his rivals in the party were “plotting something against him”.

District police chief Kunal Aggarwal, however, said: “The removal was a routine measure.”

Mukherjee was replaced by inspector Partha Sarathi Ghosh, who was previously in charge of Khoirasol block. Several police and Trinamul sources said the factional feud in the party had a role in the change of guard in Kankartala.

“Mukherjee had close links with Ghosh’s rival faction. The new appointee has a good equation with Ghosh’s faction,” said a police source.

Ghosh and Mukherjee, a Trinamul source said, were not on the same page on most of the things and their difference of opinion was known in the area. In July, Ghosh had openly threatened Mukherjee while he was addressing a meeting in Babuijore.

“I am warning you that I am not Somnath Chatterjee (the earlier block president). My district president (Anubrata Mondal) has given me the charge to restore peace in the area. If you roam around with local rowdies, I will take off your shirt… And if there is any murder attempt in the area, your job will be at stake,” Ghosh had threatened.

Ghosh’s nephew Biswajit said: “Mukherjee is responsible for my uncle’s murder. He let my uncle’s rivals convene openly in the area, which allowed them to plot their moves. We had warned Mukherjee regarding those things, but he neglected them, taking no steps in advance. We think he was responsible for the murder and the attack.”

Trinamul sources linked the murder to the infighting in the party over the spoils from illegal rat-hole coal mining in Parshundi.