August 13, 2025

KOLKATA: Tension soared in Bengal's Bankura district late Monday when Sikandar Khan, a local Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader, was ruthlessly shot dead. Khan, president of a TMC polling booth unit, was riding his motorcycle near Chakai village in the Sonamukhi area when deadly bullets struck him multiple times — in the head and back. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wasted no time. On Tuesday afternoon, she called a serious meeting with senior bureaucrats and police at Nabanna, the state secretariat, urging them to "be more vigilant" and find the culprits quickly. What’s alarming is that Sikandar Khan is the ninth TMC leader killed across Bengal since July 10, threatening to set the political scene on fire ahead of the 2026 assembly elections. TMC leaders point fingers at their rivals – the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] – accusing them of backing these violence-filled acts. However, some families of the victims raise another twist, blaming internal fights within TMC. Sikandar Khan’s own family revealed a possible motive. His sister, Noor Alamin, told reporters in Bankura, “There was a quarrel over the share of funds earmarked for the drainage line.” Yes, even money for local projects can turn deadly here. Subrata Dutta, TMC’s Bankura district boss, named a gangster: "Nasem Khan allegedly committed the murder." Interestingly, police have yet to find Nasem Khan, but have detained his two sons for questioning. “Patronised by the BJP and CPI(M), these criminals have been creating trouble in this area for quite some time,” Dutta said. Adding more spice, the Sonamukhi seat was once a stronghold of CPI(M), but BJP snatched it in 2021, shaking up local politics. BJP’s MLA Dibakar Ghara fired back: “Look around Bengal and you will see TMC leaders and workers getting killed by their own people. The opposition doesn’t figure anywhere. Sonamukhi used to be a peaceful place. TMC has imported the culture of violence seen in districts such as Malda and Murshidabad.” The wave of violence doesn’t stop here. Kuntala Roy, pradhan of a local TMC-run gram panchayat, lost her son Amar Roy on August 9 in a crowded Cooch Behar market. She said the murder was due to internal TMC conflicts. When TMC MP Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia visited, she warned, “I will not spare anyone if I don’t get justice.” With tensions running high and elections looming, Bengal’s political battlefield is more fiery than ever. Will peace prevail or will this spiral of violence continue? Stay tuned!

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Tags: Tmc leader murder, Bankura violence, Sikandar khan, Bengal politics, Bjp accusations, Cpi(m) impact,