A total of 36 leaders and workers of the Trinamool Congress, Left parties and the Congress surrendered on Thursday in the Islampur subdivisional court of North Dinajpur in connection with the violence during the 2018 panchayat elections, and the murder of Trinamool worker Khairul Islam.

During the formation of the board in the Daspara panchayat in the Chopra block of the district in 2018, clashes had broken out. The violence led to the death of Trinamool worker Khairul Islam, after which police registered a murder case, naming 57 persons.

Among those who surrendered were Ashok Roy, the district working president of the Congress, and Bidyut Tarafdar, secretary of the Chopra 2 area committee of the CPM.

Many of the accused had, over the years, switched sides to Trinamool. Zillur Rahman, the deputy chief of the Trinamool-run Daspara panchayat, also surrendered.

Snehashish Das, an advocate representing some of the accused, said some individuals had secured bail earlier, while the remaining 36 surrendered on Thursday.

The court ordered judicial custody for 14 days for all of them.