CPM leader gunned down in W Midnapore

The CPI(M) Binpur zonal committee member, Palaram Tudu, was gunned down, allegedly by Maoists...

The CPI(M) Binpur zonal committee member, Palaram Tudu, was gunned down, allegedly by Maoists, near his house at Jamjurki village in West Midnapore district’s Belpahari on Tuesday morning.

The slain leader, who was on the hit-list of the Maoists, was shot at point-blank range — Tudu had recently refused security offered by the police. “It is too early to confirm whether Maoists shot him, but that cannot be discounted,” said Raj Kanojia, IG (Law and Order).

Additional SP Bharatlal Meena said the police are combing the area for the miscreants. He added that no arrests have been made so far.

Story continues below this ad

According to police, the incident took place at about 7 am when Tuduwas inspecting his mustard field, some 100 metres from his house. Police said 10 to 12 armed miscreants attacked him and fired 10 rounds from point-blank range.

The assailants fled the spot after the gunfire alerted other villagers.

According to police, empty cases of 9-mm bullets and country-made firearms were recovered from the spot. The victim died on the spot.

Villagers, who alerted Belpahari police immediately, said the police took more than two hours to reach the spot. The victim was declared brought dead at Jhargram hospital. The body was later sent for post-mortem.

Donald Trump may replace H-1B lottery with wage-based selection process

World8 hr ago

Days after hiking the fees for new H-1B applications to $100,000, the Donald Trump administration has proposed to overhaul the visa process for high-skilled non-immigrant workers. The Trump administration has suggested a wage-based selection process for the H-1B programme, instead of the current lottery system.

View all shorts

Live Blog