People's Democracy

CPI(M) Worker Killed In Garbeta

COMRADE Tapan Ghosh, branch secretary of the CPI(M)’s Kashthagarh unit at Garbeta in Midnapore, was brutally gunned down by anti-social elements on April 9 evening. The attackers are known to enjoy the political patronage of not merely the BJP and Trinamul Congress but also of the People’s War Group (PWG). The unfortunate event occurred when Comrade Tapan was coming back from the Moyrakata election office of the CPI(M). In transit on a motorcycle along with two other CPI(M) workers deep inside the stretch of jungle at Dhabani, en route to his residence, Comrade Tapan was repeatedly shot at by the cowardly assailants who fired from vantage positions behind trees on top of hillocks that are strewn in the area.

Bleeding profusely, Comrade Tapan ultimately fell from the motorcycle. The assassins then moved in, lobbed three bombs right on to his body and then proceeded to make sure of his murder by riddling his remains with dozens of rifle cartridges.

Comrade Tapan’s two co-riders had a miraculous escape when they managed to dodge the hail of bullets in the darkness and rushed away to bring help. By the time the duo returned with hundreds of the local people, Comrade Tapan had been dead.

According to Anil Biswas, secretary of the CPI(M)’s Bengal unit, the heinous murder is a part of the conspiracy to destabilise the political situation in the state in the run-up to the Vidhan Sabha polls. He called upon CPI(M) units in the state to organise big mass rallies to expose the real face of the anti-Left forces in Bengal. He also called for speedy apprehension of the culprits responsible for the cruel deed.

In another incident earlier, a CPI(M) worker called Ali-ur-Rehman was severely injured when a gang of Trinamul Congress hooligans attacked him with sharp weapons near Daspara in Barasat subdivision on April 9 evening. He was coming back after the re-opening of the CPI(M)’s area office near Chak Aminpur village, that had been forcibly closed down by Trinamul Congress goons some time back. Even while he was engaged in tidying up the premises, he was warned that he "would not get back to his house alive." As was his wont, Ali patently ignored the goons. When he was quite near his residential plot, he was set upon by the killers. Ali was removed to the Barasat hospital where he was said to be in a critical condition.

In the meantime, Budge Budge municipality chairman Sailendranath Ghosh, who was shot and injured by Trinamul Congress hoodlums some days back in South 24 Parganas, continues to fight for his life. (INN)