Intra-party clash kills 2 of Trinamul in Cooch Behar

Local TMC leaders admitted that the dead and the injured were party supporters who had clashed to gain control over the area

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TT Correspondent   |   Cooch Behar   |   12.10.21: Two persons died and five others got injured as two Trinamul factions clashed at Gitaldaha under Dinhata police station of Cooch Behar district on Sunday night.

Both had bullet injuries, police said. Local Trinamul leaders admitted that the dead and the injured were party supporters who had clashed to gain control over the area.

“They clashed over some local issue and two persons lost their lives. Five were injured. Four persons have been detained so far in this connection,” said SP Sumit Kumar.

Gitaldaha, under Dinhata police station, comes under Sitai Assembly seat. But the clash has perturbed Trinamul’s district party leaders as internal rifts were again bared ahead of the October 30 bypoll in the Dinhata Assembly seat.

Sources said around 10pm on Sunday, supporters of Jagadish Burma Basunia, the Trinamul MLA of Sitai and rivals of another lobby of district leaders including former district president Partha Pratim Roy had an altercation at Marakuti village under Gitaldaha-II panchayat.

Deceased Mannan Haque and Muzaffar Hussain have been identified as MLA Basuria’s followers. The MLA on Sunday demanded a comprehensive probe. “All I can say that those who lost their lives and those injured are Trinamul supporters. Police should find out what led to the incident,” he said.

Trinamul insiders pointed out that in Cooch Behar, infighting among different lobbies of the party has been one of the major reasons for the party’s miserable results at the elections held during the past few years.

“Even Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee have time and again alerted those who head these lobbies to refrain from clashing. But violence seems to be far from ending,” said a senior leader.

Girindranath Barman, the district Trinamul chief, tried to downplay the issue. “As far I know, the clash was over differences among two families. There is no political issue,” Barman said. 

(https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/intra-party-clash-kills-2-of-trinamul-in-cooch-behar/cid/1834329)