CPI-M, Trinamool fight over ex-CPI-M legislator's murder

Former Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) legislator Dilip Sarkar was Sunday shot dead in West Bengal, police said. While the Marxists said it was a "Trinamool Congress conspired murder", the ruling party in turn rubbished the allegations.

"Sarkar was shot dead Sunday morning by four motorcycle-borne assailants in Burnpur in Burdwan district," Commissioner of Police (Asansol-Durgapur) Ajay Nand said.

The veteran Marxist represented Barabani assembly constituency and was a secretariat member of the party's district committee.

CPI-M state secretary Biman Bose described the shooting as a planned conspiracy by the Trinamool to terrorise the opposition in the wake of the upcoming panchayat (rural body) polls in the state.

"Politics of murder is being perpetrated by the Trinamool and it is attempting to terrorise its political opponents. So far, 95 CPI-M activists have been killed since the Trinamool government came to power in the state," Bose told mediapersons here.

Along with a 12-hour shutdown Monday in Asansol, the party has organised condemnation rallies across the state to protest Sarkar's killing.

The Trinamool attributed Sarkar's death to a factional feud within the CPI-M and hinted at the involvement of the mafia.

"His death is a result of intra-party feud in the CPI-M. A case of woman trafficking was registered against Sarkar a few years ago. The mafia may be involved," Trinamool general secretary Mukul Roy said.

Roy also rubbished the CPI-M's claims that 95 of its activists have been killed and said the law and order in West Bengal was much better than in some other states.

"Bose's claim of 95 killings is totally false. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, in the last one year there have been only 10 political killings in the state, of which six belonged to the Trinamool," added Roy.