TWO LOCAL Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders were murdered within a span of 24 hours in two West Bengal districts, police said on Friday.

TMC leader Rezzak Khan, 38, was shot multiple times and then hacked to death in South 24 Parganas on Thursday evening, police said.

The incident took place in the Chaltaberia area of Bhangar when Khan was returning home after attending a party meeting. According to police sources, unidentified persons fired three shots at Khan, after which they hacked him to death.

Khan, who stayed in the Maricha area, was the Chaltaberia area president of the TMC and was considered close to party MLA Saokat Mollah.

Later on Friday, Mollah, MLA from Canning Purba constituency, alleged that miscreants linked to the Indian Secular Front (ISF) were behind Khan’s murder. The ISF, however, denied all the allegations.

“We demand strong action against the culprits,” Mollah said.

Khan’s body has been sent for post-mortem examination. Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma visited the spot to oversee the investigation.

In the past, Rezzak Khan was considered close to Arabul Islam, a TMC leader in Bhangar, but later shifted loyalties to the Mollah camp.

In a separate incident, another local TMC leader, Abul Kalam Azad, was allegedly hacked to death during a birthday party in Malda’s English Bazar area, police said. His family has alleged that a panchayat member dragged him into a room and killed him. A probe is on, police said.