Two individuals, one of whom is a Congress candidate for the upcoming West Bengal panchayat polls, have been apprehended by local police in connection with the murder of Dhananjay Choubey, the Adra town president for the Trinamool Congress based in Purulia district. Choubey was targeted in an attack on Thursday evening in which he was shot at point-blank range while inside the party office. The two arrested individuals have been identified as Arshad Hossain and N.D. Jamal while Hossain is due to stand in the state panchayat elections scheduled for July 8.
Congress leader Kaustav Bagchi and Calcutta High Court counsel has claimed that the arrests are a conspiracy between the district police and the ruling Trinamool Congress, attempting to remove the key opponent from the forthcoming elections. Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress leaders have rejected the allegations, instead accusing Congress leaders of attempting to cause unrest during a process which has become increasingly plagued by conflicts. As a result, the district leadership of Trinamool Congress has called for a blockade of the roads across different parts of Purulia district in the wake of Choubey’s murder in protest.
Choubey was in the party office with his associates when three unknown men on a motorcycle arrived and opened fire on him, leaving him with life-threatening injuries. His bodyguard Sekhar Das was also injured in the attack. Unfortunately, Choubey’s injuries proved fatal, and he was pronounced dead soon after arriving at a local hospital. His bodyguard is currently receiving treatment for the injuries incurred during the shooting.
Earlier on Thursday, the Governor C.V. Ananda Bose had indirectly insinuated that the West Bengal State Election Commission was responsible for the bloodshed which has marred the rural civic body polls. Despite these deeply troubling events, it remains the hope of many that the situation can, and will, be peacefully resolved.
