On Sunday (25th February) night, Bijan Das, a 49-year-old Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader from Ashoknagar in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, was shot dead by a group of men after a confrontation over a land deal.
The police on Monday said that the TMC leader was shot dead at around 11 pm on Sunday when he visited the house of a party colleague to attend a birthday party in the Ashoknagar police station area.
Das had a heated argument with Goutam Das, a local businessman, as per reports. A person allegedly fired two rounds at Bijan from point-blank range suddenly when he and Goutam Das were arguing. The police said that one bullet hit Bijan Das’s head and another pierced through his left ear. Bijan was declared dead at the state-run Barasat Medical College Hospital.
According to reports, TMC leader Bijan Das was killed due to party infighting, and outraged locals vandalised the house of Goutam Das, who is accused of involvement in Das’s murder.
TMC Barasat MP Kakali Ghosh Dastidar, who visited the hospital, stated, “Bijan’s death is a big loss for the party. He began his political career in student politics and has remained with the party since then.”
Meanwhile, reports say that the police have detained several people after an initial investigation.
Bijan Das was a prominent leader of TMC in Ashoknagar and Habra. He served as the panchayat pradhan of Guma (I) panchayat for ten years, beginning in 2003. He was appointed deputy panchayat pradhan in 2013. He also served as TMC’s president of the Habra Block (II).