Bengal: At least 10 charred to death in violence in Birbhum after local TMC leader was killed in bomb attack

According to reports, deputy chief of TMC-ruled Barshal village panchayat, Bhadu Sheikh, was killed after five unidentified miscreants had hurled crude bombs at him at Bogtui village in Birbhum's Rampurhat on Monday night.

After the TMC leader's death was confirmed by a local hospital, tension erupted at Bogtui village and multiple houses in the area were allegedly ransacked and set on fire.

A state fire and emergency services official said three charred bodies had been recovered on Monday late night from a house.

Later on Tuesday morning, after dousing the blaze, firemen recovered seven more charred bodies from a burnt house.

Sources in the local hospital said there were several children and women among the victims.

A senior official of West Bengal police force said the state's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) will investigate the matter while a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by ADG CID Gyanwant Singh has already been formed.

"CID team along with the SIT officials are on their way to the scene," the official said.

After visiting the scene, Birbhum SP Nagendranath Tripathi said a forensic team will investigate the cause behind the house fire, while 15 people have been arrested so far.

A senior state police official said the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of the local police station and local SDPO have been 'closed' from duties.

While leaders of the opposition parties called the incident a "mass killing", TMC's Birbhum district president Anubrata Mondal claimed that the fire had started in those houses at Bogtui village due to a short circuit in a television set.

State minister Firhad Hakim said he will visit the village later today.