Kolkata, Jul 26 (PTI) A TMC leader, injured in a brutal attack by unidentified assailants in West Bengal's Murshidabad district, succumbed to his injuries on Saturday morning, police said.

A senior police officer said Patit Paul, an influential TMC leader in the district's Rejinagar area, was shot at and hacked by a gang near his home on July 21 night.

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He was rushed to Murshidabad Medical College Hospital in a critical condition and succumbed to his injuries on Saturday, the official added.

His brother Paritosh alleged that local BJP workers were behind the attack, claiming the FIR was lodged based on Patit's dying declaration.

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The FIR named seven people, all reportedly associated with the BJP, who had allegedly threatened Paul earlier for testifying in a previous murder case in the area.

"We are still being threatened for filing the FIR by people close to the absconding accused in the earlier murder case in Rejinagar," Paritosh said.

Police said a manhunt is on for the accused.

Former Congress MP and ex-PCC chief Adhir Chowdhury said the murder was a case of infighting in the TMC and demanded an impartial probe.

CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty said the incident proves even TMC supporters and local-level leaders are not safe in the state.

TMC Bharatpur MLA and rebel leader Humayun Kabir claimed that the victim was a party leader but the accused were never part of the same party.

"Merely flaunting a party flag and attending some party programmes doesn't make anyone a TMC suporter. We wish the perpetrators are punished at the earliest," he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)