Tensions flared in West Bengal on Thursday night after two separate attacks targeted leaders of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), one of whom was shot in Cooch Behar while another was assaulted during a visit to his constituency in East Burdwan.

In Cooch Behar, Raju Dey, a TMC leader and 'karmadhyaksha' of the Cooch Behar Block 2 Panchayat Samity, was shot by unidentified assailants near the Jhinaidanga area around 11 p.m. According to police sources quoted by PTI, the bullet struck Dey in the right shoulder. He was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital by party workers, and his condition is reported to be stable.

The attackers reportedly arrived in a car, opened fire, and then fled the scene—abandoning the vehicle, which has since been seized by the police. An investigation is underway.

While the TMC has accused the BJP of orchestrating the attack, the BJP has denied any involvement, claiming the incident is the result of internal factionalism within the TMC.

In a separate incident the same day, West Bengal Minister for Mass Education Extension and Library Services, Siddiqullah Chowdhury, was attacked in Monteswar, his assembly constituency in East Burdwan district. A group of men—allegedly angry TMC workers—reportedly vandalised his car and hurled stones at his convoy.

“This was a planned attack. Stones were thrown at my vehicle and the others in my convoy. The windshields were smashed—it was an attempt to kill me,” Chowdhury told reporters. “A corrupt TMC panchayat leader is behind this. Shockingly, local police stood by and did nothing. I’ve contacted senior officials,” he added.

Police have arrested five people in connection with the attack and confirmed they have evidence linking them directly to the incident. “Raids were conducted across the district, and so far, five individuals have been taken into custody,” a police officer told PTI.

Chowdhury, who also serves as the West Bengal president of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, won the Monteswar seat in the 2021 assembly election, defeating his BJP rival by a margin of around 26,000 votes.

These back-to-back incidents have once again highlighted the simmering political tensions in the state, with both inter-party rivalries and internal discord within the ruling party coming under the spotlight.

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