KOLKATA — A local Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader, identified as 41-year-old Masiur Gazi, was allegedly hacked to death on Thursday in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district. Gazi was the president of booth number 178 in the Champatala gram panchayat in the Deganga area and was a garment trader by profession. His blood-soaked body was discovered by the roadside near Nobbai Pat Gheri in the Haroa police station area. Police investigators suspect that the victim was murdered at a different location before his body was abandoned at the spot where it was found.
The incident has triggered significant political tension in the region, which is currently preparing for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. Deganga is scheduled to go to the polls in the second phase of the elections on April 29. TMC panchayat samiti member Ranjay Pramanik described Gazi as an active and vital party worker at the grassroots level. While the timing of the murder during the election cycle has raised concerns about political violence, authorities have stated that the probe is being conducted from all angles, including potential internal party rivalry and business-related disputes. No arrests have been made as of late Thursday afternoon.
