A Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader was killed at Basanti in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district. Jiaur Mollah was shot late on Saturday evening when he was returning to his home. His family members, including his daughter who is contesting the panchayat polls, alleged that the party’s rival faction was behind the murder.
“My father was associated with ‘Yuva’ [youth faction of the party]. Those from the ‘Mother’ faction of the party were threatening him saying that I should withdraw my candidature. We have approached the police but they did not intervene,” the daughter said. The ‘Mother’ faction of TMC refers to the group of leaders who have been associated with the party since its inception and “yuva” to new entrants of the ruling party.
While factional violence within the TCM is a common phenomenon in West Bengal politics, the murder of an influential leader from Basanti allegedly by a rival group is a cause of concern for the ruling party. The murder comes less than a week ahead of polling for the three-tier panchayat polls scheduled on July 9. With the death of Molla, the number of those killed ever since rural polls were notified has increased to 13. Majority of those killed were supporters of the TMC. Workers of the Congress, the CPI(M), the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Indian Secular Front (ISF) have also lost their lives.
