TMC worker shot dead; two other guerrillas were injured in Malda, West Bengal

According to police sources, preliminary investigation suggests that the attack may be linked to insurgency within the party.

However, senior TMC leaders, including English Bazar municipality president Krishnendu Narayan Choudhury, claimed that external forces, including Bangladeshi infiltrators, could be behind the attack.

Tension has been rising in Malda since the January 2 murder of Dulal Sarkar, TMC district vice-president.

He was shot dead in broad daylight near his home, allegedly over a dispute over the division of extortion money.

Seven people have been arrested in connection with Sarkar’s murder, but the case remains unsolved.

The party expelled its Malda city president Narendra Nath Tiwari, who was arrested last week for his alleged involvement in a murder conspiracy.

Tuesday’s attack fueled further speculation about internal conflicts within the ruling party.

Local sources claimed that the attackers were working under the direction of TMC worker Zakir Sheikh, who allegedly had a long-standing dispute with Bakul Sheikh over territorial dominance.

However, the party’s Malda district president Abdul Rahim Bokshi said Zakir Sheikh is not a TMC member.

The police launched a manhunt for the accused and fenced the area.

The series of killings has cast a shadow over the TMC’s internal dynamics in Malda, raising questions about the party leadership’s ability to control factions ahead of the upcoming panchayat elections.