A Trinamul Congress worker was lynched by armed men who waylaid an e-rickshaw, dragged the 32-year-old out and beaten him to death at Goyalpara near Naihati in North 24-Parganas on Friday afternoon.

Police ruled out any political angle behind the murder but the local Trinamool leadership claimed the BJP and its strongman Arjun Singh had conspired to killSantosh Yadav.

Yadav was travelling in an e-rickshaw when goons waylaid the vehicle at Goyalapara, dragged him out and began to beat him. Once he fell to the ground, the goons thrashed him with bricks, killing him on the spot before leavingthe area.

As Yadav lay in a pool of blood, residents rushed him to Naihati State General Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

Naithati’s Trinamool MLA Sanat De said Yadav was shot dead by goons sent by BJP strongman and former MP Arjun Singh. “Goons opened three rounds of fire targeting Santosh, who was a dedicated Trinamool worker. He was a long-time target of the BJP. He had been attacked before, but today, Arjun Singh finally succeeded in eliminating him,” said De.

Barrackpore police commissioner Alok Rajoria ruled out any “political connection” behind the murder. “Prima facie, the murder was the fallout of rivalries between two groups,” Rajoriatold journalists.

He rejected Trinamool leaders’ charge that Yadav had been gunned down. “We have got CCTV footage of the incident and identified some criminals who will be traced soon,” Rajoria said.

Singh dismissed the TMC’s allegations. “The murder was the result of personal rivalries. TMC leaders are trying to cover up internal conflicts,” Singh told The Telegraph.