A Trinamool Congress member of the Cooch Behar 2 panchayat samiti was shot at by unidentified people on Thursday night, prompting the ruling party to blame the BJP for the attempt on his life.
Raju Dey was rushed to a private nursing home in Cooch Behar, where his condition is stated to be critical.
A son of local Cooch Behar (North) BJP MLA Sukumar Roy is among the two men arrested in connection with the attack.
The incident occurred near Jhenaidanga Bazar, 5km from Cooch Behar town, when Dey was returning home from a local Trinamool office. Assailants reportedly fired five rounds at him, with one bullet hitting the back of his right hand.
Dyutiman Bhattacharya, the superintendent of police of Cooch Behar district, said two men were arrested in connection with the attack on Dey. “We have received complaints against four persons. Dipankar Roy and Uttam Gupta have been arrested,” he said.
Dipankar is the son of BJP MLA Sukumar Roy, while Uttam is the driver of a vehicle seized by the police as part of the investigation.
The police said CCTV footage helped the investigators identify the suspects.
Trinamool quickly accused the BJP of orchestrating the attack.
District Trinamool president Abhijit De Bhowmik said: “The attackers used a vehicle that belongs to BJP MLA Sukumar Roy. BJP-backed goons were behind this brutal assault. It exposes the party’s role in rural violence.”
MLA Roy said the allegations were politically motivated. “Trinamool is trying to malign us with baseless accusations. Dey was involved in anti-social activities. The attack could be a fallout of his actions,” he said.
Trinamool supporters organised demonstrations at key traffic junctions in Cooch Behar 2 block, including Chakchaka check-post, Pundibari road and Morichbari Kholta check-post. The protesters blocked roads and burned tyres from 10.30am till noon.
Bhowmik, who led a march in Chakchaka, described the shooting as “an attack
on democracy”.
“Dey is our former district president and a popular grassroots leader. He was deliberately targeted,” Bhowmik said.
The Cooch Behar (North) Assembly constituency, where the attack occurred, has never been won by Trinamool. Sukumar Roy defeated former minister Binay Krishna Barman of Trinamool in the 2021 Assembly elections. Earlier, the seat was with the Forward Bloc.