TMC leader's murder: Police arrest mastermind, claim factional rivalry behind crime

Factional rivalry is said to have been the driving force behind the crime, according to police, who have detained the alleged mastermind of the Trinamul leader Saifuddin Laskar's murder in Joynagar in South 24-Parganas.

"Although some local ruling party leaders have been holding the CPM accountable for Saifuddin Laskar's death, Shaharul Sheikh, a 23-year-old Netra resident, was arrested in Diamond Harbour, and his questioning suggests that Saifuddin was killed due to factional rivalry." A senior official in the Baruipur police district said, "We are attempting to determine the cause of the rivalry.

Shaharul, who had reportedly been hired by Saifuddin's opponents as the "prime informer" to divulge information about the Trinamul leader's whereabouts, was taken into custody by the police late on Monday night.

The policeman said that Shaharul had informed detectives that Saifuddin's murder had been planned by paid assassins. On the way to court, Shaharul also said that Sahabuddin Laskar, who was lynched after the death of Saifuddin, was also complicit in the crime. Jarina Laskar, Sahabuddin's wife, has refuted the accusation.

Sahabuddin was a tailor, and his family said he was an activist for Trinamul and had nothing to do with the murder.

"We have all been longtime Trinamul fans. However, my spouse never had any ties to the CPM and was active in Trinamul. He used to reside in Akra and worked as a tailor. We knew Saifuddin; why would he murder him? Jarina enquired.

Sahabuddin reportedly worked with Esmotara Biwi, a renegade from Trinamul.

Tuesday, Shaharul appeared before the Baruipur extra chief judicial magistrate's court and was placed under ten days of police prison on remand.

Investigating authorities had earlier said that Shaharul had stated during the questioning that he had been given Rs 1 lakh and that he had first been instructed to plan a "theft." But in the end, he was sent to Joynagar and instructed to closely monitor Saifuddin's whereabouts.

According to police sources, Shaharul broke down during the questioning on Monday night and said that, according to what he knew, the conspirators decided that Saifuddin's murder should take place in the early hours of the morning. He added that this was orchestrated to make it as easy as possible for the murderers to flee.

Three different cases of murder, lynching, and arson have been opened by the police, one day after the murder, the lynching that followed, and the violence against CPM supporters at Daluakhaki-Laskarpara village.

The homeless people attempted to visit their village on Tuesday under the leadership of CPM leaders Sujan Chakraborty, Kanti Ganguly, and Shamik Lahiri; however, the police prevented them, resulting in the escalation of conflict.