NEW DELHI: Police have arrested three persons in connection with the murder of a local Congress leader and his lawyer son in West Bengal’s Nadia district. The investigators have named a jailed man as the alleged mastermind behind the killings, officials said on Sunday.The arrests were made after Anisur Rahman, 50, and his son Abu Sufian, 24, were shot at and attacked with sharp-edged weapons while returning home. The duo was in their car near Nagadi railway gate in Nakashipara when the assault happened around 9.30pm on Saturday. The spot was about 200 metres from their residence.The three accused, identified as Haranagar gram panchayat pradhan Fatima Biwi, Sageb Sk and Mithu Sheikh, were produced before Krishnanagar court and remanded to nine days in police custody.Fatima Biwi’s husband, Jabbar Sheikh, who is currently in jail, has been named as the alleged mastermind. Police, however, said the investigation was still underway and that the exact number of attackers and rounds fired had not yet been established.
How the killings took place
According to police, Rahman and his son were travelling home when their vehicle was intercepted near the railway gate. The assailants allegedly opened fire at the car before attacking the two men with sharp-edged weapons.Both victims died at the spot due to excessive blood loss.Sufian was a lawyer practising at the Krishnanagar court, while his father was a local Congress leader.Additional Superintendent of Police Surajit Kumar Dey said investigators were working to establish the full sequence of events and identify all those involved.
Attack sparks political row
The killings have triggered allegations of political involvement, with Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari alleging that Trinamool Congress operatives were behind the attack.Adhikari said police had informed him that Jabbar Sheikh was the alleged mastermind.“The SP informed me that Jabbar Sheikh, who is in jail, is responsible for the murder. His wife, who is a Trinamool panchayat pradhan, has also been arrested. Trinamool operatives committed the murder. The rule of law applies to everyone,” Adhikari said.Congress leader Tipu Sultan also alleged that Jabbar Sheikh had orchestrated the killings from jail.“Jabbar orchestrated this from jail using miscreants to gain control of the area. If the administration conducts a proper and impartial investigation, everything will become crystal clear,” he said.The allegations have not yet been established by the police investigation.
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Congress protests killings
Former Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury condemned the killings in a social media post, raising concerns over security and political freedom.“Such an atrocious incident on Independence Day raises serious questions regarding public security and political freedom,” he said.West Bengal Congress president Subhankar Sarkar observed a Black Day in protest against the killings and alleged that the attack was pre-planned and politically motivated.“A number of panchayat functionaries in Nadia wanted to join Congress and had contacted Anisur Rahman for that purpose. BJP did not want that to happen,” he alleged.Police are continuing their investigation to determine the motive, establish the number of people involved in the attack and ascertain the precise circumstances leading to the double murder.