Kolkata: Three people were killed in two separate incidents of violence in West Bengal since late Monday night, police said Tuesday, as both the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the BJP blamed each other for the killings.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed Tuesday that in all 10 people have so far been killed in the state in violence following the Lok Sabha elections and of them eight belonged to the TMC and the rest are BJP supporters. She, however, did not give details of the 10 deaths.
Two people were killed and three severely injured when bombs were hurled at them in North 24 Parganas district’s Kankinara, while one person died after allegedly being beaten up by unknown miscreants in East Burdwan district, police said, adding incidents took place late Monday night. There was no official confirmation about political affiliation of the victims.
The two deceased in Kankinara’s Baruipara area, which falls under Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency, were identified as Mohammed Mukhtar and Mohammed Halim. Three people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the incident, police said. Incidentally the BJP has wrested this constituency from the TMC after Arjun Singh defeated two-time sitting MP, Dinesh Trivedi.
According to police officials, the family members of Mukhtar were sitting outside their house late Monday night when bombs were allegedly hurled at them.
“Halim died on the spot while Mukhtar succumbed to his injuries at a hospital. A critically injured Mukhtar’s wife is undergoing treatment at a nearby hospital along with two others,” a senior police officer said.
West Bengal minister and the TMC’s district president Jyotipriya Mallick alleged that the victims were targeted by miscreants hired by the BJP because they had voted for the ruling party in the state in the Lok Sabha elections.
Refuting the allegation, Arjun claimed the incident was the result of a family feud and has no connection with politics.
In East Burdwan district’s Shantinandi, general secretary of a village committee Jaideb Roy was beaten up by a group of miscreants Monday night. On hearing Roy’s cries for help, three people guarding fish in a nearby pond, rushed to the spot but they too were thrashed by the miscreants, police said.
All the four were admitted to Burdwan Medical College and Hospital where Roy died in the early hours of Tuesday. Four people have been arrested in connection with the incident, SP of East Burdwan Bhaskar Mukherjee said, adding the injured have been identified as Anil Mullick, Balaram Mullick and Mohan Poile.
Meanwhile, the BJP alleged that a party supporter was hacked to death by TMC workers for chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ in Howrah district’s Sarpota village, Monday night.
Though police confirmed the death of 43-year-old Samatul Doloi, whose body was found in a field at Sarpota village under Amta Police Station limits, officers were tight-lipped about the cause of the death.
PTI
