Clash between TMC factions in Kolkata after woman dies of electrocution

Chakraborty, on his part, said he was an outgoing councillor and his powers were limited. "I had asked the authorities several times to remove the (loose) cables, but all my pleas fell on deaf ears.

Two factions of the ruling Trinamool Congress engaged in a clash on Friday, blaming one another for the death of a woman who was electrocuted in Maniktala here, police sources said. The middle-aged woman had come in contact with a live wire in Palpara area of Maniktala, which comes under ward no 14 of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC).

A section of TMC leaders, following the mishap, ransacked the house of local TMC councillor Amal Chakraborty, accusing him of not taking measures to remove loose and frayed cables in the area. Chakraborty, on his part, said he was an outgoing councillor and his powers were limited.

"I had asked the authorities several times to remove the (loose) cables, but all my pleas fell on deaf ears. I am an outgoing councillor. My powers are very limited. "Goons of local MLA and minister Sadhan Pande are targeting me. If I am at fault, Pande and TMC MP Sudip Bandopadhyay are also at fault," he said.

Supporters of Chakraborty and Pande clashed with each other on the issue, prompting a team of police officers to rush to the spot and bring the situation under control. Pande, later, dubbed Chakraborty's allegations as "baseless" and said he was trying to divert attention from his own failures.

Incidentally, last month, too, a woman had died of electrocution in the area.