A Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader in West Bengal’s Coochbehar district was stabbed on Sunday night, leading to a volatile situation. Reportedly, an attacker was caught and lynched by the locals as well before the police took control.

The ruling party has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of attacking its leader. However, the local police hasn’t yet made any official claim. There’s a confusion if it was a political attack or the result of personal vendetta. The police has started the investigation.

According to a report by the Bengali daily Sangbad Pratidin, the victim, Mithun Rajbhar, was a member of Satkura Panchayat Samiti in Village 2 of Dinhata’s Block- 1.

He was attacked in Satkura region when he was returning from pandal hopping on the night of Nabami. As per the news report, locals claimed that after attacking Rajbhar, “the BJP-supported miscreants started stabbing him randomly”.

The attack had left him bloodied and deeply injured on his neck and shoulders before the locals rescued him and took him to the local hospital. Due to his serious conditions, he was referred to the Siliguri Medical College and Hospital, where he is undergoing treatment now.

Meanwhile, the saffron camp has denied the allegations and has accused TMC’s inner conflict for the attack on Rajbhar. BJP further claimed that it was pre-planned by TMC to humiliate the party on the basis of false allegations.

Meanwhile, political violence throughout the state ahead of the Assembly Elections next year has been a major concern.

Opposition parties like the BJP, CPIM and Congress have, time and again, blamed the state government for failing to maintain the law and order situation in West Bengal.

Recently, a BJP leader died after clashing with TMC workers at the end of an event by the latter in the Hingalganj area of North 24 Parganas.

Earlier this month, BJP had accused TMC of hurling bombs at its workers in West Midnapore. In July, a BJP MLA from Devendranath Dutta was found hanging in a market place in North Dinajpur’s Hemtabad.

North 24 Parganas’ Barrackpore region is on the boil after BJP leader Manish Shukla was shot dead openly on the street in Titagarh.

According to a report by BBC Bengali, a total of 13 political killings have happened in Bengal in the last three months or so. Seven BJP workers, six TMC workers and one SUCI cadre have lost their lives.

It has also been revealed by the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) data that in terms of political violence and killings, West Bengal stands top among all the Indian states.