Maoist rebels abducted and lynched two Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) activists in Lalgarh on Friday night, even as the joint security operation to nab the ultras in and around the enclave of West Midnapore district continued.
A group of the left-wing radicals raided the Chandra area near the Kotwali police station of the district and took away Baren Mahato and Gurucharan Mahato at gunpoint.
"They were beaten to death," Inspector General of State Police (Western Range) Kuldip Singh told IANS.
The badly mutilated bodies of the two were found in the early hours on Saturday, some distance from the area where they were abducted.
An eyewitness said that the Maoists asked for the houses of the two CPI-M men, and dragged them out. They also ransacked the houses.
Meanwhile, the joint forces of the central paramilitary troops and state armed police faced the fury of students and parents in four areas around in Lalgarh - about 200 km from the state capital Kolkata - on Friday and Saturday over a demand that the security personnel vacate the schools where they are staying.
The parents said studies have been disrupted as classes remained suspended with the forces taking over the schools.
{{/usCountry}}The parents said studies have been disrupted as classes remained suspended with the forces taking over the schools.
{{/usCountry}}At Binpur high school, the agitators locked the school gate with a security contingent inside leading to a baton charge by the police.
The protesters then blocked a key highway in Binpur town.
A section of the students and their parents are on hunger strike on Saturday before the school gate in support of their demand.
Lalgarh is the headquarters of the Binpur -1 Community Development block.
The massive security operation was launched by the state government June 18 to flush out the Maoists who had established their control around this belt since November 2008 alongside the tribal body People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) after torching police camps and offices of the ruling CPI-M and driving out the civil administration.
Lalgarh has been on the boil since November when a landmine exploded on the route of the convoy of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and then central ministers Ram Vilas Paswan and Jitin Prasada.
Complaining of police atrocities after the blast, angry tribals backed by Maoists launched an agitation, virtually cutting off the area from the rest of West Midnapore district.
Maoists are active in areas under 21 police stations in the state's three western districts - West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia.