TMC leader killed in Howrah, party leaders blame CPI(M)

A Trinamool Congress leader in Howrah was hacked to death by some miscreants while returning home on Tuesday night. The incident triggered tension at Amta in Howrah. The victim, Hannan Ali, a Trinamool Congress panchayat member from Basantapur and a resident of Paschimpara was returning home on his motorcycle at around 11.30 pm on Tuesday when two miscreants stopped him on his way. A heated altercation broke out between Ali and the miscreants, following which one of them slashed at his head and other parts of his body with a sharp weapon. The victim fell on the ground after receiving several blows.

Attracted by the screams of the victim, local residents rushed to the spot and found the victim lying in a pool of blood. The miscreants fled the spot immediately. The locals found the victim dead and staged a demonstration with his body. After being informed, police reached the spot. The protest was staged in front of the police, who were denied custody of the body. Senior police officers rushed to the spot along with the Rapid Action Force. The demonstration was lifted following the intervention of senior police officers and the body was sent for post-mortem thereafter.

The victim's family members said that Ali was instrumental in strengthening the party's organisation in the area. The district party leaders of Trinamool Congress alleged that it was a deliberate move by CPI(M)-backed miscreants to weaken the organisation of the party.

As Ali had played an important role in the last panchayat elections and was a very active member of the party, the miscreants hatched a conspiracy to kill him. District CPI(M) leaders, however, denied the allegations and termed it a result of a dispute between two factions within the ruling party. Police have started a probe and are conducting raids at various places in the district to nab the culprits. They are also investigating if any past rivalry had led to the murder of the victim.