West Bengal: Local Congress leader Mohammad Saifuddin killed in bomb attack in Malda district

A local Congress leader was killed in West Bengal's Malda district on Sunday morning after gunshots were fired and crude bombs were hurled at him, police said.

The leader, a name referring to Mohammad Saifuddin, was attacked with bombs while on his way to the market from his house in Dharampur, a village under Gopalpur panchayat in the jurisdiction of Manikchak police station.

Saifuddin was an influential Congress leader in the Gopalpur region.

The incident took place at around 9 am at Dharampur Stand Market. According to Saifuddin's family, four to five men with masked faces opened fire and hurled two explosive devices at him.

It was said that he died on the spot.

Meanwhile, the Congress party and the victim's family have alleged that Nasir, a local politician from the Trinamool Congress (TMC), orchestrated the attack. The state's ruling party has denied this claim.

In response to the murder, angry Congressmen took to the streets, blocking the Manikchak State Highway with burning tyres and demanding swift action and the arrest of the accused.

The police announced that they had launched an investigation into the case and were trying to identify the people behind the attack.