Kolkata: A 38-year-old Trinamool Congress leader was shot dead in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district, triggering tension in the locality, police said on Friday.
The incident occurred in Bhangar area on Thursday night when Rajjak Khan, a close aide of TMC's Canning Purba MLA Saokat Molla, was shot at by a few gunmen, a senior officer said.
No one has so far been arrested in the killing of the TMC functionary, he said.
The incident took place when Khan, the TMC's Chaltaberia unit president, was returning home after attending a party meeting there, the officer said.
"An initial probe revealed that three bullets hit the deceased. The assailants also stabbed him multiple times to ensure his death," the senior officer of Kashipur Police Station said.
A police team has been deployed in the locality, and the body has been sent for post-mortem examination, he said.
Molla blamed the Indian Secular Front (ISF) for the murder of the local TMC leader.
“Rajjak was returning home after attending two party meetings. He was shot at and then stabbed multiple times. Those who are losing ground in Bhangar are behind this murder. Criminals, who had been given shelter by the ISF, killed Khan. They are losing political relevance every day, and that is why they have resorted to such criminal activities,” the TMC legislator claimed.
ISF MLA Nawsad Siddique rejected the allegation and described the killing as the result of TMC's internal feud.
Bhangar has often witnessed political clashes between the ISF and the TMC groups over control of the area.