TMC party leader found dead, supporters ransack hotel

Kolkata: Tension ran high at Lalbag area of Murshidabad on Tuesday morning after some local Trinamool Congress activists ransacked a hotel room and later set it on fire after the body of their district party leader was found dead under mysterious circumstances.

The victim Kayem Seikh (42), a member of local Gram Panchayat, a resident of Bazarpara area under Berhampore police

station had been missing from Monday. The locals told the family members of the victim that he was found

travelling in a car along with one Raju Seikh and Aduri Khatun who had taken refuge in a local hotel.

As the family members lodged a complaint at the local police station, a probe was initiated. The duo was staying at Golden Palace Hotel in Lalbag. When the police raided the hotel, the duo was missing. Some of the staff members of the hotel spotted the body of Seikh. Police later recovered the body by breaking the door of the room. As the news spread, Trinamool Congress activists ransacked the hotel room where the body of the TMC leader was found with several injury marks on his body.

They later set the room on fire alleging that the hotel owner knew about the crime. According to the preliminary investigation, police suspect that the victim was throttled to death. There were blood stains in his nose and mouth. One fire tender was pressed into action to douse the flame of the hotel room. Police are interrogating the hotel staff members to know the whereabouts of the two.

The cops have sent the body for the post-mortem and are investigating if it was a result of any past rivalry or there was any political angle into it. Police are conducting raids to nab the two who are missing since the incident took place.