Alipurduar:
A 25-year-old man was shot dead allegedly by his cousin in West Bengal’s Alipurduar district over a land dispute, police said on Friday.
Bapi Pandit was shot from a close range by his cousin Biplab Basak with his licensed gun on Thursday night in Arabindanagar area of the district, they said.
Pandit’s family had a long-time tiff with the Basaks over the land, police said, adding that it is suspected that he was killed over the dispute.
Basak, a well-known BJP worker in the area, has fled after the incident. His brother-in-law, Kanu Mallik, has been arrested in connection with the murder, police said.
The Trinamool Congress has claimed that Pandit was a member of its youth wing.
Alipurduar’s TMC MLA Sourav Chakraborty claimed that the killing was not linked to the land dispute.
BJP, however, said that Basak is not a member of the party.
“He may have only voted for the BJP,” said the party’s district president Gangaprasad Sharma.
Following the incident, locals raised questions that how Basak, a small-time trader, had a licensed gun.
Superintendent of Police Nagendra Sharma said, “We have seized the gun and are on the hunt for the accused. He will be arrested soon.”
Further investigations are underway, he added.
