A 30-year-old party worker of the Trinamool Congress was hacked to death and two others injured, allegedly by Bharatiya Janata Party supporters, on Thursday night in West Bengal’s Malda district, where polling concluded on April 23.

The violence follows the incident in which seven TMC workers were injured when bombs were hurled at them allegedly by Congress workers on polling day.

On April 25, Sanatan Mahaldar, a TMC worker, was killed at a devotional gathering in Shimla village. Two others, Raju Mahaldar, 32, and Ganesh Mahaldar, 28, were injured when they tried to resist the attack on Sanatan.

“We have started an investigation into the murder and raids are on to nab the accused,” said superintendent of Malda police, Ajay Prasad. Police detained three persons but main accused are absconding, said officers.

Tutul Mahaldar, the deceased’s elder brother, lodged a complaint against one Shakti Mahaldar and nine others at Pukuria police station.

Malda BJP president, Sanjit Mishra, said, “I accept that those who killed Sanatan are BJP supporters, but the murder is not the outcome of any political clash. In the elections, most of the people of Shimla village cast their vote in favour of the BJP. Annoyed, Sanatan issued a diktat that he would not allow any BJP worker to remain in the committee that organised the devotional soiree. That triggered the clash.”

However, Sanatan’s mother, Parbati, had a different version. “My son was attacked by some BJP workers when he was returning home. He was about 40 metres from the house when they caught him,” she claimed.

In a separate incident on Friday in the district of West Midnapore, BJP leaders alleged that one of their local leaders were attacked on Friday when he was putting up party flags.

First Published: Apr 27, 2019 00:45 IST