MALDA/NORTH 24 PARGANAS: A three-year-old child was shot at in Malda, allegedly by miscreants led by block BJP leader Anil Mandal, because his mother had ‘defected’ to Trinamool a day before the panchayat board formation on Thursday.

The profusely bleeding child was rushed to Malda Medical College, and later taken to a Kolkata hospital, “with critical injuries”.

The violence followed after the “defector”, Putul Mandal, threw her weight behind

a day before the board’s formation, resulting in a tie in the election to the pradhan’s post.

The presiding officer chose to settle matters with a coin-toss, which went in BJP’s favour. While local TMC members blamed BJP for the violence, BJP denied all charges.