Kolkata: In a shocking and brutal assassination, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Razzak Khan was shot and then hacked to death late on Thursday near his residence in Bhangar Chaltaberia, South 24 Parganas in West Bengal. He was the block president of Chaltaberia.
The incident happened late Thursday evening. Khan, 38, was returning home after attending a TMC meeting when unidentified assassins on motorcycles ambushed him near a deserted canal under Kashipur police station.
Eyewitnesses said that the attackers first fired three shots which hit the TMC leader. They then hacked him to death using a sharp weapon. He collapsed on the spot and was declared dead upon arrival at a nearby hospital.
The murder has left locals shaken, with many fearing a resurgence of political violence. The authorities have cordoned off the area and started a full-scale investigation. CCTV footage is being reviewed, and residents in the vicinity have been questioned. An autopsy is scheduled for Friday.
Canning Purba East MLA, Saokat Molla, a close aide of Khan, has pointed fingers at the Indian Secular Front (ISF), said a report in Times of India report. He alleged that the ISF was involved in orchestrating the attack through hired miscreants under the influence of ISF MLA Naushad Siddiqui. The ISF has firmly denied these claims, suggesting internal party dissent as a possible motive.
This incident underscores the recurring cycle of violence in Bhangar, which has frequently seen politically motivated murders and factional clashes. Senior police officials, led by Kolkata Commissioner Manoj Verma, are overseeing the investigation to swiftly bring the culprits to justice.
Political parties in West Bengal and also the locals are demanding urgent action to prevent further bloodshed in the region.
(Written by Niswarth)