New Delhi: West Bengal ruling party Trinamool Congress accused the Bharatiya Janata Party for the murder of its state legislator Satyajit Biswas who was shot dead at point blank range on Saturday evening , an incident that lead to a massive outcry in Mamata Banerjee’s party. The saffron party has refuted all the allegations.

As the ruling TMC alleged that it was a planned attack by the BJP, the saffron party claimed that Biswas’ murder was a result of the ruling party’s internal feuds.

Biswas was shot dead by some unidentified assailants inside a Saraswati Puja marquee on the eve of Basant Panchami.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee directed the party leaders to stand beside the family of the victim, he said.

The incident:  The incident occurred around 8 pm when the TMC MLA from Krishnagunj in Nadia district was shot by unidentified assassins. According to initial reports, Biswas was shot dead during a Saraswati Puja celebration in the area. A group of unidentified people came close to Biswas and fired bullets at him soon as he came off from the stage, during a cultural programme. He was immediately taken to a local hospital where doctors announced him "brought dead". An eyewitness said miscreant shot at him when came down from the stage. The police were suspecting that two assailants were present at the spot and one of them fired at him.

A firearm suspected to have been used in the crime was found in a nearby area.

A high-level inquiry has been ordered into the killing, the police said.

Who was Biswas?

41-year-old Biswas, represented Krishnaganj constituency in Assembly. He was a two term member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly.

TMC alleges BJP for the murder:

TMC Secretary General Partha Chatterjee said the party was shocked at the killing of the "popular youth leader". Claiming that the attack was a conspiracy by the BJP, Chatterjee said those involved in it would be punished after a full-fledged inquiry. He said the saffron party was trying to create disturbances ahead of the Lok Sabha polls and resorted to politics of murder by singling out leaders having mass bases.

"It was a pre-planned murder by the BJP. They have hired goons to carry out the murder," the party's in-charge of Nadia district Anubrata Mondal alleged.

BJP refutes allegations:

BJP state president Dilip Ghosh denied the charges and claimed that the killing might be the result of infighting in the TMC. "The allegations are baseless. The BJP is not at all involved in the case. Those who are blaming us are actually trying to hide their own sins," Ghosh said.

Senior BJP leader Mukul Roy also termed the allegations as baseless.