Body of TMC leader fished out of river in Jhargram

Kolkata: Mystery shrouds the death of a Trinamool Congress leader of Binpur in Jhargram district. His body was recovered from the river bed in Dherua area on Monday morning.

The deceased, Jagadish Mahata, was the booth chairman of Binpur I block. He was missing for the past two days and a missing diary had been lodged by his family at Binpur police station on Sunday.

The police have not found any external injury marks on the body but after the preliminary probe, they feel that Mahata could have been smothered.

The wife of the deceased is the health karmadaksha of Lalgarh block.

According to police sources on Saturday night, Mahata had gone to attend the cremation of one Krishnagopal Roy, who was the president of Lalgarh Panchayat.

After the last rites, he went to inspect the work-in-progress of a government project construction at Tentuldanga in Cheraboni area, after which he did not return home.

Sleuths investigating the incident have initiated a case of murder based on a fresh family complaint.

"We are investigating all angles. Personal enmity is not being ruled out," Abhisekh Gupta, Superintendent of Police Jhargram said.

After preliminary investigations, they suspect that smothering could have resulted in his death." Being actively involved in politics, he was quite popular in the area. We are questioning people in the area who were known to him," a senior police officer said.

The police have also found marks of resistance on the river bed.