By Nikita Jain
A Muslim man was killed and his close aide critically injured after an alleged mob attack by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers in West Bengal’s Birbhum district, in what villagers and local leaders describe as a brutal instance of post-poll violence following the Assembly election results.
Soon after the election results were announced on May 5, reports of violence emerged from several parts of West Bengal. Santoshpur village, under the Nanoor police station limits in Birbhum district, was among the areas where clashes were reported.
According to eyewitnesses and villagers, 35-year-old Abir Sheikh was hacked to death while returning with his friends. Sheikh was reportedly the local booth president of the Trinamool Congress (TMC).
Speaking to Maktoob, Saiful, a resident of the village and a TMC member, said Sheikh and his friends had gone fishing earlier that day. While returning, they were allegedly surrounded by a mob of around 50 people.
“They were both BJP and CPI(M) people. They started beating all of them. But they specifically targeted Sheikh. They beat him everywhere and then with a sharp weapon they chopped his head,” he alleged.
A video circulating from the scene reportedly shows Sheikh lying in a pool of blood, with a part of his ear severed, while people around him cry in shock and panic.
His aide, Ali Hossain, who is in his late 30s, was also grievously injured in the attack. Villagers alleged that he too was assaulted with sharp weapons and left for dead.
“They left him there to die. He was also beaten with sharp objects and is battling for his life at the hospital. But we think he will not make it,” another resident told Maktoob.
Due to tensions and fear in the area, police personnel have since been deployed in the village.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.