Skeletons are coming back repeatedly to haunt the CPM.
Days after the party MLA from Garbeta, Sushanta Ghosh, was booked in a murder case after five skeletons were found near his home, party strongman Lakshman Seth found himself in a similar quandary.
On Monday, a skeleton was recovered from the septic tank of a primary school in Bhupatinagar near Nandigram, around 140 km south-west of Kolkata. Anima Das, a resident of Khejuri - an area adjacent to Nandigram -claimed it was the remains of her husband Subrata Das, who had been missing since 2001.
In her complaint, she named 52 people as accused, among them Seth, former CPM parliamentarian from Haldia, MLA Sushanta Ghosh and the party's West Midnapore district committee secretary Dipak Sarkar. An FIR was lodged on Tuesday, naming them.
"On February 10, 2001, Seth, Ghosh and Sarkar threatened some Trinamool supporters in Khejuri with dire consequences if they continued supporting the party," said Mahmood Hossain, zilla parishad saha sabhadhipati, East Midnapore.
Two weeks later, on February 24, four Trinamool supporters - Subrata Das among them -- went missing. Police said CPM goons killed them, but the bodies were not found.
{{/usCountry}}Two weeks later, on February 24, four Trinamool supporters - Subrata Das among them -- went missing. Police said CPM goons killed them, but the bodies were not found.
{{/usCountry}}Md Selim, CPM central committee member, said: "Thousands of CPM supporters and activists are being accused in false cases. This case is also part of that." Seth was not available for comment.
Skeletons are currently dominating Bengal's political scenario. After the five found near Ghosh's home in Garbeta, another four were recovered from West Midnapore district.