Bengal orders CID probe into killing of TMC leader, two others

The West Bengal government on Friday ordered a probe by the state police's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) into the killing of three persons, including a Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader, by miscreants who made an armed attack on the car of local legislator in Joynagar of South 24 Parganas district, police said.

MLA Biswanath Das escaped the Thursday night attack as he had got off the vehicle some time before the incident, which has created a flutter in the eastern state.

"Three people died in the attack on the vehicle that the local MLA had used through the day," a police officer said.

The motor bike-borne miscreants surrounded the vehicle as it halted at a petrol pump in Joynagar town -- about 55 km from the heart of Kolkata -- for refuelling and sprayed bullets besides hurling bombs indiscriminately.

The driver of the vehicle, taken on hire from a car rental company, died in the attack.

The two other victims were a Trinamool Congress local leader and an onlooker.

Das claimed that he was the target of the attack.

"I hire this car regularly. That day also I was supposed to get down close to the petrol pump to spend time at a tea stall, but I got off earlier at a local party office. I have no clue about the identity of the attackers, or why they carried out the attack. But I am convinced I was the target," said Das.

While Das did not pin the blame on any opposition party, district Trinamool chief Subhasish Chakraborty alleged that the CPI-M and the SUCI (Communist) were behind the incident.

CPI-M leader Sujon Chakraborty, however, alleged that the fatal shootout was the result of "bitter infighting" within the Trinamool.

SUCI-C leader Tarun Naskar claimed there were three factions in the Trinamool always at each other's throat. "One of the factions carried out the shootout targeting another faction."

On Friday, the state government asked the CID to take over the investigation.

--IANS

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