Agartala, Feb 19: Tripura Police on Sunday arrested a Gram Panchayat Pradhan of BJP for allegedly killing his neighbor following a ‘personal enmity’.

The arrestee- Krishna Kamal Das, a resident of Dwarikapur village under Kalyanpur police station in Khowai district, was forwarded before a court, police said.

Dilip Shukla Das (50), a CPM worker of the same village, was allegedly attacked by the Pradhan and others on Saturday night. 

After receiving information on the incident, Kalyanpur police responded immediately and shifted the victim to Khowai hospital in a serious condition. The injured person was then referred to GBP hospital where he succumbed to injuries during treatment on the same night.

After the post-mortem, the body was handed over to the deceased’s family.
 
When the CPM state secretary Jitendra Chaudhury along with Narayan Kar, Pabitra Kar and Manik Dey and a large group of CPM workers tried to take the body to the party office, police stopped them near Heritage Park.
 
As police refused to allow them to take the body to CPM state headquarters on Sunday morning, the CPM leaders and workers protested the incident and staged a blockade on the road along with the body. Finally, after hours long protest, the body was taken near Circuit House where the CPM leaders and workers paid homage.
 
Meanwhile, a case was lodged against six accused persons in connection with the murder incident. A police statement said that the principal accused was already arrested while prima facie it appeared that it was a case of ‘personal enmity’. Police said, raids are underway to arrest the other accused persons. 

According to police, the CPM worker had gone to the BJP Pradhan’s home in an inebriated condition and sought to know why he was not given anything except the benefit of Awaas Yojana in the last five years.

On the other hand, CPM in a statement alleged that Dilip Shukla Das was called outside his house and attacked with lathi, dao and brick. The CPM also smelled the hands of local mandal secretary Manoj Deb and some close aides of MLA Pinaki Das Chowdhury behind the murder.
 
The CPM also questioned the police’s role as they didn’t allow to take the body to the party headquarters. Finally, the body was taken near the Gandhi statue at Circuit House where the CPM leaders paid their homage. The CPM strongly condemned the incident and demanded immediate arrest of the killers. (With inputs from Tripura Times)