A fresh confrontation erupted within Trinamool Congress ranks in Cooch Behar before party supremo Mamata Banerjee’s scheduled visit on Monday.

The flashpoint stems from the probe into the August 9 murder of Trinamool leader Amar Roy of Dauaguri under Cooch Behar Block I.

On Friday, Amar’s father Mahim Roy publicly alleged that Rabindranath Ghosh, chairman of the Cooch Behar municipality and party veteran, along with several of his aides, were involved in his son’s killing.

Ghosh furiously denied the allegations, calling them “a conspiracy to humiliate me” which observers believed was pointed to a Trinamool camp opposed to Ghosh.

However, the crisis deepened when Ghosh’s close aides — Parimal Barman (member, Cooch Behar zilla parishad), Khokan Mian (district president of the party’s farmers’ wing), Azizul Haque, and other Trinamool leaders — demanded a CID probe into Roy’s murder on Sunday.

“We will file a defamation case against the false allegations made against us. Mahim Roy is being used to level these charges. We want a CID inquiry to identify those behind the murder and the conspiracy,” Barman said at a news meet held near the North Bengal Development Department (NBDD) office on the banks of Sagardighi.

Udayan Guha, the north Bengal development minister, and Ghosh are said to be at opposite ends of Trinamool’s spectrum of Cooch Behar.

In a parallel escalation, Khokan Mian demanded immediate removal of district Trinamool president Abhijit De Bhowmik, insisting that a leader from the Rajbanshi community should replace him. Bhowmik is deemed close to minister Guha.

The allegations and counter-allegations have surfaced at a politically sensitive moment, as Mamata Banerjee is set to begin her district tour on Monday, culminating in a public meeting at Rashmela Maidan on Tuesday.

Mahim Roy has also sent a written complaint to the police by post, naming Ghosh, Barman, Khokan Mia, Azizul Haque and others as suspects. “We have enough evidence. That is why we filed a complaint,” he claimed.

Amar Roy was shot dead on August 9 at Dodeyahat Bazar under the Pundibari police station. Police have arrested five people so far. This is the first time the victim’s family has directly accused Trinamool leaders of involvement.

Ghosh said: “These accusations are being made just as the chief minister is arriving. Mahim Roy is being influenced with fabricated stories. There has been a long-running conspiracy to humiliate me and prevent me from getting a ticket from the Natabari
constituency.”

Guha declined to comment. Trinamool district chief Abhijit De Bhowmik, however, defended Ghosh. “The parents are overwhelmed with grief and may have spoken out of emotion. I do not believe a senior leader like Rabindranath Ghosh is involved (in the murder),” he said.