Trinamool leader in Murshidabad arrested for killing man demanding return of money

Kolkata (The Uttam Hindu): A Trinamool Congress leader in West Bengal's Murshidabad district was on Sunday arrested on charges of killing a person who had demanded the return of the money that he had given him for ensuring inclusion of his name in the list of beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) scheme. The arrested Trinamool leader has been identified as Mithu Sheikh and the victim as Kali Sheikh. Both are residents of Mukundapur village under Mithipur village panchayat under Raghunathganj police station in Murshidabad.

As per the complaint registered by the family members of Kali Sheikh, he, for quite some time, was trying to get his name enrolled in the list of beneficiaries under the PMAY scheme and for that purpose, he was approaching many influential persons, including Mithu Sheikh. Mithu Sheikh assured Kali Sheikh of getting his name enrolled in the list and took Rs 5,000 from him to get the work done, as per the complaint. However, in the most published list, Kali Sheikh's name still did not appear and hence on Saturday night, he went to the residence of Mithu Sheikh to demand the return of the money.

There was a heated discussion between the two, following which Mithu Sheikh allegedly started beating up Kali Sheikh with an iron rod. The neighbours somehow rescued a profusely bleeding Kali Sheikha and got him admitted to a local hospital. However, he died on Sunday morning, Thereafter, the family members lodged a police complaint following which Mithu Sheikh was arrested in the afternoon.

The development has created ripples in the locality and also become a cause of embarrassment for Trinamool leadership. The party's district President Kalilur Rahaman, however, said if any individual commits a crime, its responsibility does not necessarily come on the party. "The law will take its own course," he said.