CPI(M) leaders killed, violence precedes 28th general strike

Two CPI (M) leaders, a former MLA and a district level leader, were killed and another person injured when armed assailants allegedly to be Trinamool Congress (TMC) activists attacked upon them near Bardhaman on Wednesday. The attack took place at Diwandighi which is 7-8 km away from Bardhaman town on Bardhaman-Katwa Road at around 9-30 a.m.

According to local people, Pradip Ta, the former MLA from Bardhaman (North) constituency and Kamal Gayen, a member of the CPI(M) district committee, were leading a small procession campaigning for the coming general strike on February 28 when they were attacked upon by armed people. Both of them were severely beaten up with iron rods. Pradip Ta also suffered wounds from chopper. Later both of them were taken to Bardhaman medical College hospital where they were declared dead.

 

Another person has been admitted in hospital with serious injuries. The police have detained four persons and interrogating them. According to local people they are known TC activists.

Immediate after that the CPI (M) leadership sprung to action. The CPI (M) has given a call to observe 12 hours band in Bardhaman district to protest against the killings. In Salinger, Baharampur and some other places in the state the CPI (M) took out protest march. Suryakanta Mishra, the opposition leader in West Bengal state assembly, has condemned this as an “act of barbarism” and demanded that the chief minister must come out in public to make her position clear.

The TC leaders tried to deflect the charges by saying that the incident was provoked by the CPI (M) leaders when they went to that area against the will of the local people.

Firhad Hakim, the municipal affairs minister, has denied any role of his party in this killing.

He said that the unfortunate incident happened when the CPI (M) leaders faced mass resistance. Shyamal Chakraborty, a member of the CPI (M) central committee and leader of their trade union front, said that this was a result of the panic reaction of the TC supporters. “They thought that after the electoral defeat our party would be finished. The recent massive rally at Brigade Ground underscored the point that the party has been regaining its strength. They are panicking now,” said Chakraborty.

Yesterday a division bench of Calcutta high Court has stayed elections of student unions in five colleges in the state saying that because of continuing violence in campuses the atmosphere is not conducive for holding elections. Suryakanta Mishra has reiterated that till now 58 CPI (M) supporters have been killed in the last nine months after the assembly election.