Kolkata: In the latest incident of poll-related violence in West Bengal, a Trinamool Congress gram panchayat member was killed in the district of South Parganas.
The incident happened late Friday night in Magrahat, and the person who died has been named as Moimur Gharami.
The death toll from violence related to the recently concluded panchayat polls in the state has risen to 55 as a result.
Sahajahan Molla, a close associate of Gharami's, was shot and injured in the incident. He is reportedly in critical condition at a nearby hospital where he is receiving treatment right now.
Meanwhile, four individuals have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the murder.
Local people in the area told the police that while Gharami was returning home, he was suddenly surrounded by a group of unidentified miscreants.
Gharami was first hacked, and then he was shot at close range, killing him instantly.
Molla, who rushed to save him, was also shot by the attackers.
Subdivisional Police Officer Mitun De led a large police contingent from the Diamond Harbour district to the scene.
“The deceased was an elected gram panchayat member from Arjunpur in Magrahat (east) block of South 24 Parganas district. He recently had a feud with some local anti-social elements. The killing is probably the fallout of that,” De said.—Inputs from Agencies