CPI (M) Keshpur Zonal office set on fire by Trinamool hooligans

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.’