A 38-year-old Trinamool leader in North Dinajpur was shot dead right after New Year midnight.
Nabendu Ghosh, a vice-president of Trinamool Youth Congress in the district, was hit by a bullet in his chest while he was attending a picnic with friends close to his residence in Ramendrapally near Mohanbati Market in Raiganj town.
Critically injured after being shot, he was immediately taken to the Raiganj Government Medical College & Hospital (RGMCH), where doctors declared him dead.
It is not yet clear why and how he was shot. Two persons have been arrested so far in connection with the incident.
As police reached the spot, his supporters staged protests, creating unrest in the area.
Anticipating further trouble, police personnel were deployed in the locality. As the news spread, hundreds of people, including party leaders and supporters, rushed to RGMCH, demanding immediate steps against those who had shot him.
According to local sources, Ghosh was actively involved in student politics as a Chhatra Parishad leader during his college days at Raiganj College, where he was a leader of the students’ council. He stayed with the Congress till 2021 when he joined Trinamool around the same time as Raiganj MLA Krishna Kalyani who switched from the BJP to the party.
He was deemed close to Kalyani. Recently, however, Ghosh had distanced himself from the MLA’s group.
He owned a sweet shop near Mohanbati market, close to his home. On Wednesday night, he was attending a picnic with his supporters nearby when the shooting took place.
Police sources said they have collected CCTV footage from the area for review. The footage shows that around 12.03–12.04am, Ghosh walked out of his house into the lane where the picnic was being held.
About five minutes later, others were seen running out of the picnic spot, after which Ghosh already shot, was carried to the road and rushed to the hospital.
The police clarified that the CCTV footage indicated no outsider entered the picnic area.
Based on this evidence, two youths — Shubham Pal and Pintu Saha —were arrested from Ramendrapally early on Thursday. The firearm used was recovered, said sources.
“We are trying to ascertain the motive behind the murder,” said Sonawane Kuldeep Suresh, the SP of Raiganj police district.
On Thursday morning, Pal and Saha were produced in a local court. The court heard the case and ordered the duo seven days in police custody.
Ghosh’s family alleged the murder was the result of a conspiracy. “He was at the picnic spot since Wednesday evening. Around midnight, he came home to wish us a happy New Year and then returned. Soon, we were told he had been shot. I believe there was a conspiracy behind this incident,” said Nabendu’s father Pranab Ghosh.
The BJP claimed the incident was an outcome of Trinamool’s internal feud, which the ruling party rejected.
“Any death is unfortunate. However, given the level of factionalism within Trinamool here, it is necessary to examine whether that played a role,” said Nimai Kabiraj, the BJP president of North Dinajpur.
Shibshankar Roy Chowdhury, Trinamool president of Raiganj town committee, rubbished Kabiraj’s charge. “This is a tragic incident. There is no conspiracy or factional conflict. The police have begun their probe and we have full faith in them. We want strict punishment for the guilty,” he said.