A 30-year-old civic volunteer died on Wednesday night in a clash between two rival groups in south Matikunda village in Islampur.
Following the incident, MLA Karim Choudhary demanded immediate intervention of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in arresting the accused involved.
The deceased has been identified as Sakib Akhtar. Sakib is the brother of Shahenawaj Alam, the leader of one of the groups. Sakib had just returned home from work when the incident occurred.
Tension prevailed in the area with sporadic clashes between two rival groups since Monday. On Wednesday night, some people attacked the house of Shahnawaz with bombs and firearms. In the attack, Akhtar is reported to have been injured in the head. He was rushed to the Islampur sub-divisional hospital where he was declared brought dead by the doctors.
An agitated mob attacked and ransacked the house of Mahebub Alam, the Pradhan of Matikunda-I Gram Panchayat in retaliation. The mob also blocked Raiganj- Siliguri national highway at the Srikrishnapur area by burning tires. Islampur police reached the spot and brought the situation under control.
MLA Karim Choudhury staged a protest in front of Islampur police station on Thursday demanding immediate action from the Chief Minister.
However, the situation was defused after several arrests by the police. Bishop Sarkar, Superintendent of Islampur Police District, said: “A total of 16 persons, including Mahebub Alam, have been arrested. Investigations have been initiated to trace the exact sequence of events.”