Unknown assassin shot dead a BJP leader in Jalachandra Karbari Para under the Manikpur police station in Dhalai district on Saturday, reported police.

The local BJP leader Kripa Ranjan Chakma (37) was shot dead around 3 am on Saturday in his residence.

A Manikpur police official stated, “Unidentified assailants shot him at around 3 am on Saturday. We received a call and rushed to the spot to investigate the matter”.

Kripa Ranajan was brother of BJP Mandal General Secretary. BJP district committee member Ashis Bhattacharjee along with local MLA Shambhulal Chakma, BJP Janajati Morcha District President Hangsa Kumar Tripura and others reached Ranajan’s house after receiving the information.

“We have registered a case under section 302 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Arms Act, based on which three persons identified as Uttam Kumar Chakma, Brajamohan Chakma and Hemanta Chakma were arrested from the same village,” the police official added.

The news of Kripa Ranjan Chakma’s death was shocking since he was an active worker in the area, said BJP state spokesperson Nabendu Bhattacharjee.

“We believe a conspiracy was hatched ahead of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) election in the state. The party demands immediate action against those assailants who killed the active party worker,” Bhattacharjee said.

The local party functionaries were asked to conduct an investigation into the incident.