Pre-poll bloodshed shatters lull,2 die

While the CPM has blamed the Trinamool for the Barrackpore killing and given a call for a bandh tomorrow in the area,the Trinamool has denied the charge saying the killing was the result of a business rivalry.

According to locals,Jamil Akhtar,a CPM leader and a councilor of ward 17 of Barrackpore municipality,was chatting with his friends at a teashop when a man riding a bicycle shot him from point blank range.

Jamil was immediately rushed to the hospital where he was declared brought dead. After the incident,irate locals blocked the road and rail track and demanded the arrest of the guilty.

Rahul Srivastav,SP,North 24 Pargana,said,“The investigation has begun and the road and rail blockades have been cleared.”

Jamil was the councilor for last five terms in Barrackpore municipality and was the leader of the opposition in the municipality. Amitabha Nandy,former MP and the district committee member,said,“Jamil was a very popular and influential leader in Barrackpore. He was playing an important role in the campaign of our candidates and that is why he has been eliminated by Trinamool leaders. We have called for a bandh tomorrow to protest against the organized killing.” However,Jyotipriyo Mallick,Trinamool observer in North 24 Pargana said,“We will win in the district any way. Why we need to kill somebody for that. We do not indulge into the politics of murders which is the domain of the CPM. Moreover,according to the information I have got,Jamil was killed due to business rivalry.”

Significantly,the Election Commission has demanded a detailed report from the district police on the incident.

Sunil Gupta,CEO,said,“Currently,five CRPF companies are deployed in the district. We have demanded a detailed report on the incident and asked the administration and the police to maintain law and order in the area.”

Meanwhile,two Trinamool workers were attacked in two different incidents in Arambag area. Ashok Nandy,a Trinamool worker and an employee of Arambag municipality,was reportedly hacked to death today morning. He had sharp injury marks on his throat,said a senior police official.

Yesterday night,miscreants had shot at Ashok Maity,also a Trinamool worker in Arambag. Maity suffered a bullet injury in his leg. Trinamool leader Tapan Dasgupta said,“Two of our workers were attacked in last 16 hours in the same area. One of them was killed and another has been admitted in a critical condition. We will go to the EC and ask for proper security before the polls.”