Tension in Nanur over murder of ex-MLA

Nanur, a town in West Bengal's Birbhum district, remained tense on Wednesday following the murder of a former MLA of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), allegedly by supporters of the Trinamool Congress on Tuesday.

Leaders of the CPI(M) that called a 12-hour bandh on the day accused the police of serious lapses in dealing with violence.

According to District Superintendent of Police Rabindranath Mukherjee, the former MLA, Ananda Das, was dragged out of his home, allegedly by Trinamool activists, and shot dead.

This was in response to the killing of Phulu Seth, a Trinamool worker. Earlier in the day, he was shot and injured by motorcycle-borne miscreants. He was rushed to a hospital at Bardhaman and later to Kolkata, where he died.

Before targeting Ananda Das, Trinamool supporters allegedly stormed into the offices of the CPI(M) zonal committee and the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU). The offices were vandalised and bombs hurled, Mr. Mukherjee said.

Tension gripped Nanur following the killing of Ananda Das. His body was taken out in a procession before it was cremated.

The processionists turned away a team of policemen who had gone to the area, alleging that had the police responded when calls were made when the offices were initially attacked, the murder could have been prevented.

“The police could not reach the area on time as a mob had blocked the road to the area,” claimed Mr. Mukherjee.

Raids were conducted in the area and 14 people were arrested in connection with the incident, he added.

In a statement, Biman Bose, State Secretary of the CPI(M), said that the incident was “a planned attack and murder.”

Mr. Bose accused the Trinamool Congress of spreading terror in an attempt to destroy democracy.