Calcutta:
A Trinamool Congress (TMC) councilor was shot dead by two unidentified men in West Bengal's Malda district on Thursday morning, police said.
Dulal Sarkar, a 'close aide' of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, was shot in the head several times at close range in Jhaljhalia More area. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, police said.
The motive behind the attack could not immediately be determined.
CCTV footage shows Sarkar storming into a shop while being chased by the suspect. The suspect also enters the shop and fires several shots at the TMC leader before fleeing the spot.
“An investigation has been initiated and we are trying to identify the culprits,” a senior police officer told PTI.
Ms Banerjee expressed shock over the killing of Sarkar, who was popularly known as Babla.
“My close associate and a very popular leader, Babla Sarkar, was killed today. Right from the inception of the Trinamool Congress, he (and his wife Chaitali Sarkar) worked hard for the party and Babla was also elected as a councillor,” she said. said in a post on X.
“…I am so shocked and sad that I don't know how to convey my condolences to the bereaved family. May God give Chaitali the strength to survive and fight the battle,” she added.