TMC panchayat member, 2 party workers shot dead in south Bengal
The ruling TMC has blamed the BJP for the crime while the BJP has hit back saying it could be the fallout of the TMC’s internal rivalry
A Trinamool Congress panchayat member and two party workers were shot dead at Canning in South 24 Parganas, around 50 km south west of Kolkata, on Thursday morning.
The assailants first shot the victims and then tried to behead the bodies, said Paresh Ram Das, TMC MLA of Canning West.
“Three people have been murdered. An investigation is going on. The victims have been identified as Swapan Majhi, Jhantu Halder and Bhootnath Pramanik,” said a senior police officer.
The incident took place at about 9 am when the trio was heading to a TMC party office where preparations for the TMC’s July 21 rally were going on. Majhi was a member of the Gopalpur panchayat in Canning.
According to locals, some unidentified men stopped the motorcycle on which the three were riding. They first shot Majhi. When Halder and Pramanik tried to flee they were shot too. The assailants then hacked the victims and tried to behead them.
“Majhi had come to me on Tuesday night and had said that he could be murdered. I had asked him to come on Thursday afternoon, so that I could speak to the police and arrange some security,” said Das.
The ruling TMC has blamed the BJP for the crime while the BJP has hit back saying it could be the fallout of the TMC’s internal fight.
“We are gathering details. This is an attack on the TMC. The BJP is trying to weaken the party and tarnish the image of the state and the party. They are resorting to violence, lodging complaints and then raising baseless allegations of deterioration of law and order,” said Kunal Ghosh, TMC spokesperson.
“Even a child won’t believe in this theory as Canning and other adjoining areas are the haven of TMC’s goons. It is probably the fallout of TMC’s internal fight. The panchayat polls are coming. It’s a honeycomb and fights are breaking out within the party as to who will enjoy the fruits,” said Sukanta Majumdar, state BJP president.