Jan 18, 2025 12:14 PM IST
Motorcycle-borne assailants attacked the three during a road inauguration ceremony in Malda district’s Kaliachak
Kolkata: The prime suspect in the January 14 murder of a worker from West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), which also left two others injured, was arrested, police said on Saturday.
“Zakir Sheikh was attempting to leave the state,” said a district police officer, without disclosing the location of the arrest.
TMC worker Ataul Sheikh aka Hasa died on the spot, while TMC’s local unit chief Bakul Sheikh and his brother, Esaruddin Sheikh, were hospitalised with bullet and stab injuries after being attacked by motorcycle-borne assailants during a road inauguration ceremony in Malda district’s Kaliachak on Tuesday.
The arrest coincided with a visit by Rajeev Kumar, director general of West Bengal Police, to Malda district. Police deployed drones in areas where Sheikh was suspected to be hiding.
Esaruddin told the media that Zakir, a local party worker, and his followers were behind the attack.
Local TMC members claimed that Zakir Sheikh was previously with the Congress party before switching to the TMC in October last year.
Opposition parties criticised the TMC over the ongoing factionalism within the party in Malda district, pointing out that on January 8, police arrested TMC leader Narendranath Tiwari and Swapan Sharma in connection with the January 2 murder of Dulal Sarkar, vice-president of the TMC’s Malda district unit.
However, Abdur Rahim Bakshi, president of the TMC’s Malda district unit, denied the allegations of infighting, stating that Zakir Sheikh never joined the TMC.
“Zakir never joined TMC. He is a criminal. The allegations of infighting are baseless,” Bakshi said shortly after the attack.
