West Bengal: TMC Candidate For Panchayat Polls Beaten To Death In Malda; Party Blames Congress

In West Bengal's Malda district, a candidate from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) for the panchayat election was beaten to death, with the TMC alleging the Congress's involvement in the incident.

According to the police, Mustafa Sheikh, the TMC candidate, was attacked by unidentified individuals in the Sujapur area while he was returning home in the afternoon. He was physically assaulted before being taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

"We are looking into the case. The body was sent for post-mortem examination," a police official said.

A 48-year-old accused Abdul Mannan, has been detained, news agency ANI reported citing police.

TMC blames Congress for the death

State minister Sabina Yeasmin has claimed that the assault on Sheikh was orchestrated by former TMC activists who had switched their allegiance to the Congress after being denied tickets.

"Out of vengeance, they have killed our official candidate. We have asked the police to take action," she told reporters in Malda.

In response to the incident, TMC activists staged a sit-in protest in the area, demanding the immediate arrest of the perpetrators.

Congress rubbishes allegations

On the other hand, the district Congress leadership refuted the allegations made against their party.

"The allegation against us is baseless. The killing is due to infighting within the TMC. It has nothing to do with us," a Congress leader said.

Malda, a district with a significant minority population, is traditionally seen as a stronghold of the Congress party.

The ongoing filing of nominations for the three-tier panchayat polls scheduled for July 8 has resulted in widespread violence, leading to the loss of at least six lives and numerous injuries across different regions of the state.