KOLKATA: Four Trinamool Congress workers and leaders were killed in two separate shootouts in West Bengal over the last 36 hours. While three TMC workers were killed in a dramatic shootout in which around 15 gunmen surrounded an SUV, opened fire and lobbed bombs on the car from all sides at Jaynagar in South 24 Parganas on Thursday night, a local TMC leader was shot and killed from close range at a manned level crossing in Raghunathpur in Purulia district on Friday afternoon.
The deceased in Jaynagar shootout have been identified as local strongman and Jaynagar block TMC’s Jai Hind Vahini president Sarifuddin Khan and TMC workers Amin Ali Sardar and Salim Khan. The deceased in the Purulia shootout has been identified as local TMC leader Hamid Ansari. The bodies have been sent for autopsy.
Jaynagar MLA Biswanath Das stopped at a local shop and got off the vehicle just before it was attacked by 15 bike-borne assailants near a petrol pump in Jaynagar on Thursday night. The MLA believes that he was target of the attack.
However, preliminary investigation has revealed that the attack might be a result of old political rivalries between two TMC factions. Deceased Sarifuddin Khan, who was close to MLA Biswanath Das, was the main accused in the murder of strongman Khokhon, who is close to TMC leader Gour Sarkar, Das’s rival.
Police have learnt that Sarifuddin was engaged in a bitter feud with strongman Babua of the Gour Sarkar faction for the last couple of days.
Faction feud behind Jaynagar killings
Preliminary investigation into the Jaynagar incident has revealed that the attack might be a result of old political rivalries between two Trinamool Congress factions.