An elderly woman identified as Khatun Bewa, 64, said to be a Congress activist, was lynched allegedly by the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) activists at Ghoramara in Murshidabad district on Sunday morning.
Bilal Mondal, the younger brother of the deceased, said that besides being a die-hard Congress supporter, she was also an ardent follower of state Congress president and veteran party Lok Sabha member Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.
The brother has demanded exemplary punishment for the culprits. “Some of the miscreants having backing of the ruling party started showering abuses in front of her house. As my elder sister protested, she was lynched in the process. We demand exemplary punishment for the culprits,” Mondal said.
District Trinamool Congress leader Ashok Das denied the allegations and claimed that the unfortunate event was the result of a quarrel between neighbours.
“Congress leadership in the district is trying to add political colour by unnecessarily dragging our name in this,” he said.
The total number of casualties in the state has touched 56 since June 8 when the polling date for panchayat election was announced.