The brutal killing of Congress leader Anisur Rahman and his 24-year-old son, Abu Sufian, in Nadia on Independence Day has sharply escalated political tensions in West Bengal, with three people arrested and competing allegations of a wider political conspiracy now at the centre of the investigation.
The strongest political allegation has come from state Congress president Suvankar Sarkar, who linked the killings to the movement of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders and workers towards the Congress following the recent change of government. “Soon after the regime change, TMC leaders and workers have increasingly been joining the Congress, which the BJP does not want. Since the BJP will not take Muslims into the party, it is trying to eliminate our leaders with the help of goons close to the TMC,” he said.
The allegation gives the killings a wider political dimension beyond the immediate question of who carried out the attack โ and raises the possibility that Rahman had become a political threat as the Congress seeks to expand its influence in an area where the TMC traditionally held sway.
Rahman (55), a member of the Pradesh Congress Committee, general-secretary of Nadia District Congress and former president of Nakashipara Block Congress, was returning home with his son on Saturday night when their car was allegedly intercepted near Bethuadahari railway crossing in the Nagadi area.
According to accounts by police and local residents, the attackers first opened fire on the vehicle. Father and son were then allegedly dragged from the car and attacked with sharp weapons. Both suffered fatal injuries. Reports put the time of the attack from 9.00-9.30 pm.
Police have arrested three people โ Fatema Bibi, the TMC pradhan of Harnagar gram panchayat, and her alleged associates Saheb Ali Mondal and Mithun Sheikh. They were medically examined before being produced in court and sent to nine daysโ police custody.
About the Author
