4 dead in shootout between rival Indian political parties

Last updated on: 09 June,2019 10:28 am

4 dead in shootout between rival Indian political parties.

KOLKATA (AFP) – Three supporters of India’s ruling right-wing party and another from a rival regional party have been killed in a gun battle in West Bengal state, police and a local politician said Sunday.

At least 18 others were injured in the clashes that broke out Saturday in the eastern state that has been on edge since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched an aggressive campaign to win parliamentary seats last year.

"Three of the dead were BJP workers while the other was a (regional) Trinamool party supporter," a police official told AFP.

Local BJP leader Mukul Roy tweeted from his official handle that three BJP workers were "shot dead" in Sandeshkhali, West Bengal.