The elderly father of a Congress leader in Murshidabad’s Nabagram was attacked in his home on Thursday night by Trinamul workers enraged by the murder of party leader Mozammel Sheikh, 42, hours before.
A gang of Trinamul workers allegedly armed with pistols and country-made bombs barged into the home of Congress candidate Ramzan Sheikh, 30, and when unable to find him thrashed his elderly father Maharulla Sheikh, 60.
“Around 9pm on Thursday, Trinamul leader Mozammel Sheikh was accosted by unidentified assailants and shot while he was campaigning. He was knocked to the ground first and then shot, after which his assailants fled,” said a source.
He added that Mozammel was rushed to Nabagram rural hospital, where he was declared dead. The incident occurred at Hazbibidanga village, where Mozammelwas the gram panchayat president.
“Once the news of his death reached Trinamul workers, they got together and attacked the home of the Congress candidate without much evidence, ostensibly owing to the fierce Congress-Trinamul rivalry in the area,” the source added.
On Friday morning, Trinamul workers organized a rally in the area demanding the arrest of Mozammel’s killers.
“The police have started an investigation into Mozammel’s murder and arrested six persons on Friday in this connection,” said Lalbagh additional superintendent of police, Asim Khan.
Sources said all arrested persons were local Congress workers. Trinamul district chairman Apurba Sarkar accused Congress Behrampore MP Adhir Chowdhury of having “masterminded” the murder owing to “his party’s inability to win rural elections fairly”.
“We had wanted a fair and peaceful election but Congress goons descended to such acts on Adhir’s command.”Asked, Congress district leader Jayanta Das dismissed Trinamul workers’ allegations of Mozammel’s death being a “Congress job”.
“Our party has no such motivations or resources,” he said. “Rather, it is a fallout of their factional rivalries, wherein one camp was aggrieved at their leader not having been nominated,” he added.
