A day after two Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers were hacked to death after a meeting of a ‘salishi sabha’ (a kangaroo court) turned violent in Malda district, police on Friday arrested 11 people in connection with the incident. Two minors have also been detained, said police.

The incident took place at Rajnagar Model village in Kaliachak when the meeting was underway to settle a dispute over a tractor entering a field, said the police.

The deceased were identified as Badshah Sheikh and Ekramul Sheikh. The police identified the arrested accused as Samsul Sheikh (56) Rofikul Islam (27), Golam Mutafa (25), Glam Ahammed Reja (23), Ibrahim Sheikh (24), Sheikh Wahab (70), Zahangir Hossain alias Protap (38), Safikul Sheikh (45), Gulsan Bibi (35), Nasnur Bibi (30) alias Moniruzzaman and Umme Kusum alias (25). All are residents of Rajnagar Model village.

According to the police, a dispute had been brewing between one of the victims and accused Samsul Sheikh for days.

Earlier on Tuesday, standing maize crops were destroyed after a tractor ran across farmland, police said.

To resolve the dispute, a meeting was convened at Rajnagar Model Madrasa by a local TMC leader. During the hearing, Samsul was allegedly asked to hold his ears and perform sit-ups. Samsul and his accomplices attacked the two TMC workers with sharp-edged weapons, police said. Both were later rushed to the hospital but succumbed to their injuries, said police. Ekramul Sheikh’s wife told the media persons that a group attacked her husband over the land-related dispute. Based on a complaint from the victim’s family members, police launched a probe in connection with the matter and subsequently arrested the accused.

With PTI inputs