Police on Saturday said they have so far arrested five persons in connection with the murder of Malda English Bazar Trinamul Congress councillor Dulal Sarkar.

Sarkar, described by West Bengal Chief Minister Banerjee as a close associate of hers and a popular leader, was shot dead by miscreants in Malda district on Thursday morning.

Two men were arrested on Friday after apprehending three others on the day of the murder, taking the total number of arrests in the case to five, a senior police officer said.

The arrested accused persons were identified by the police as Bihar's Katihar district natives Sameer Akhtar, Mohammad Abdul Gani and Malda residents Tinku Ghosh, Abhijeet Ghosh and Amit Raja.

Sarkar was shot in the head multiple times from close range after chasing him into a shop in English Bazar town's Jhaljhalia More, when he tried to flee the bike-borne assailants, according to the police.

The TMC supremo expressed shock over the killing of Sarkar, who was popular by his nickname Babla.

"My close associate and a very popular leader, Babla Sarkar, has been murdered today. From the beginning of the Trinamool Congress, he (and his wife Chaitali Sarkar) worked hard for the party, and Babla was also elected a councillor," the chief minister said in a post on X on Thursday.

Speaking at a state administrative meeting at Nabanna here, Banerjee blamed the callousness of Malda SP for the murder of the TMC councillor.

"This is a season of festivals, and miscreants are taking the opportunity. This (the killing of Sarkar) happened due to the callousness of the SP," she said at the meeting held on Thursday.

"His (Sarkar's) security was taken away some time ago... Earlier also he was attacked. This is very unfortunate," she said.

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