A day after the daylight murder of Trinamool youth leader Amar Roy, 36, at Dodeyerhat market in Cooch Behar, the party held a rally in Dawaiguri on Sunday, demanding the immediate arrest of the culprits.

Traders at Dawaiguri Bazaar kept their shops closed in protest.

Amar was the son of Kuntala Roy, the Trinamool pradhan of Dawaiguri gram panchayat. He had gone to Dodeyerhat, about 14km away, with friends on Saturday afternoon to buy mutton.

Eyewitnesses said that Amar was about to get into his car after buying mutton, four men on bikes, wearing helmets, came and opened fire.

“Bullets struck Amar, causing him to collapse. His driver, Alamgir Hossain, was shot in the leg while trying to intervene. The assailants fled on their bikes,” said an eyewitness.

Alamgir is under treatment at a private nursing home.

On Sunday, senior Trinamool leaders, including district president Abhijit De Bhowmik, MP Jagadish Chandra Burman Basunia and district women’s wing president Shuchismita Deb Sharma led a protest march from the local party office. The rally drew party workers and residents, who shouted slogans demanding swift police action.

“Amar was an active and strong worker of our party.... Killing him benefits the BJP. We trust the police to investigate properly and arrest the culprits,” said Abhijit De Bhowmik.

Basunia also accused the BJP of resorting to violence.

Amar’s father Mahim Chandra Roy said: “If the police probe properly, everything will come out.”

Cooch Behar BJP general secretary Biraj Bose said: “Our party does not believe in the politics of murder.”