27th September, 2011
West Midnapore: More
than hundred Trinamool hooligans with firearms attacked CPI (M)'s zonal office
at Keshpur in West Midnapore district Tuesday morning. Trinamool activists, who
were taking out a rally near the office, attacked Comrade Jamshed Ali Bhavan
building; they barged into the office premises, ransacked it and set the ground
floor on fire. Near about 45 party workers are trapped on the second floor of
the office then. The incident happened before the police force deployed there.
But they didn’t intervene or resist Trinamool attackers. After Rapid Action
Force rushed to the site, Police had to resort to lathi charge to control the
crowds.
The attack was launched
allegedly after some CPI (M) supporters were seen with arms at the office. This
could not be confirmed. Actually, after the last assembly election police and
Trinamool hooligans two times searched Keshpur Zonal office with the allegation
that there were lots of arms inside the party office. But they didn’t find
anything.
This time story was slightly
different. On Monday, there was a clash between two factions of Trinamool
Congress at Mirpara village of Keshpur left one dead and several injured. A group
of TMC supporters at Panchami received information that one Ajmera Biwi was
attacked and her home ransacked at Mirpara village. When some local leaders
reached the spot at around 2:30pm, they found the other faction waiting for
them with arms. The armed group also belongs to Trinamool. Soon an altercation
followed and the new group opened fire. Sheikh Samiyet (18) was critically
wounded after two bullets hit him. He was rushed to Midnapore Medical College
where he succumbed to his injuries. Among the injured were Roshan Khan (35),
Moinuddin Khan (28) and Jalal Khan (40). All three were hit on their legs by
stray bullets.
Trinamool West Midnapore
district President Dinen Roy, however, refused to see it as an intra-party
clash. But SP Midnapore (west) Praveen Tripathi said, "There was violence
between two groups. Bullets were fired, villagers were attacked. We have
reports of several injuries and one person have been killed. We have arrested
three people in connection with the violence. The role of political parties is
under scrutiny."
Actually, these two groups
belongs to Chitta Garai, Trinamool block president of Keshpur and Asish
Pramanik, who contested as TMC candidate of Keshpur in last assembly election. There was palpable tension at Panchami village
were the two factions have been at loggerheads. The bone of contention between
the two warring factions is over the controlling of the locality. But after the
incident Trinamool state leadership want hushed up the factional war. After
their instructions, late on Monday evening, the TMC members started a
demonstration in front of Keshpur police station demanding a thorough search in
the erstwhile CPI (M)-dominated villages that have huge arms in store. And in
the morning they attacked CPI (M) Zonal Office.
West Bengal Left Front Chairman
and CPI(M) state secretary Biman Bose strongly condemned the attack. He said, ‘Many
workers have been injured. Around 45 of our workers have been locked inside the
first floor. The miscreants are trying to set the office ablaze.’ Biman Bose said, ‘After the assembly election
Trinamool and Police force jointly attacked, ransacked, set fire more than 600
hundred of our party offices. Our 40 comrades killed. TMC govt. and party
launched a Political vendetta against us. This should be stopped immediately in
a democratic system.’
