Bengal: 3 killed in political violence, two while trying to make crude bomb

KOLKATA: Five persons were killed in West Bengal in the past 24 hours, three in two separate incidents of political violence and two while trying to make a crude bomb, police said Saturday.

Two persons were killed in a clash allegedly between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI), a fringe Communist outfit, at Baruipur near Kolkata since Friday night. In Birbhum district, a TMC supporter was found dead.

The dead have been identified as Ashwini Manna, a TMC leader and Sudhansu Jana, a SUCI leader. Manna was allegedly beaten and hacked to death. Following the incident, TMC supporters allegedly ransacked the houses and shops of SUCI supporters and set them on fire. Later, Jana was also found dead.

Meanwhile, SUCI insisted that villagers lynched the TMC leader. “TMC supporters have been threatening people over the past few days. A village mob lynched Manna,” said Tarun Naskar, a local SUCI leader.

In Birbhum, Sisir Bauri, a TMC supporter, was found dead. While the TMC has alleged that he was murdered by the BJP, the latter refuted the allegations and claimed that Bauri was killed in an internal clash of the TMC.

Elsewhere, two persons were killed and five others injured in an explosion in Murshidabad district on Friday night. The deceased have been identified as Maharul Sheikh and Situ Sheikh. “Preliminary investigations have revealed that the men were hired to make crude bombs,” said a senior district police officer.