“Three miscreants on a bike fired at him multiple times. One shot near the head. He was admitted to Malda Medical College in a critical condition. Later, he died there,” said an official.

At the beginning of the administrative meeting in Nabanna on Thursday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that Sarkar’s murder was “due to the negligence of the police.”

“He has been attacked before. He used to get security. It was later withdrawn,” she said.

“My close associate, and a very popular leader, Babla Sarkar, has been murdered today. From the beginning of the Trinamool Congress, he (and his wife Chaitali Sarkar) worked hard for the party, and Babla was also elected as a councillor. I am sad and hugely shocked after knowing about the incident. The culprits must be booked immediately. I am so shocked and sad that I do not know how to convey my condolences to the bereaved family,” Banerjee had said in a post on X.

The Chief Minister ordered two state ministers, Firhad Hakim and Sabina Yasmin, to go to Malda. CCTV footage purportedly shows Dulal being chased by some miscreants outside the plywood factory.

Police have initiated an investigation into the case.