Three Trinamool workers hacked to death in South 24 Parganas

In a gruesome incident, three Trinamool leaders, including a panchayat member, were shot at point blank range, bombed and then hacked to death in South 24 Parganas district's Canning, a stronghold of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC).

Four miscreants, who were allegedly hiding as farmers in a field, attacked a Trinamool panchayat member Swapan Majhi, who was travelling with two other booth-level leaders on a motorbike, to attend a workers' meeting.

Family members claimed political enmity to be the cause of Swapan Majhi's death.


"My brother has been killed by local goon Rafikul. He as been threatening my brother for the last few days, after my brother had saved a Trinamool leader from a similar deadly attack," Tapan Majhi, Swapan Majhi's brother claimed.

"Three-four persons have shot my brother and then hacked him to death. The other leaders accompanying him could not escape and they were also murdered," Tapan Majhi alleged. Apart from Swapan Majhi, Jhhantu Halder and Bhutnath Pramanik, who were killed, were also active Trinamool leaders in the locality.

The brutal killing has sent shockwaves across political circles.

They were first shot at by some miscreants and later hacked to death with a sharp weapon, police sources told ET. People heard the sound of bombing. Canning is known for its mafia-raj and factional feuds among the Trinamool workers.

A team of senior police officials and CID visited the spot. Siddhi Nath Gupta, additional director general (ADG)-South Bengal said, "We have started an investigation. It is in the preliminary stage and we have not arrested anyone yet. We will soon close the case. We have received some leads." Puspa, superintendent of police, Baruipur, also accompanied Gupta.

Fatema Sheikh, an eyewitness who has a shop near the spot, said, "I heard a loud thud and saw smoke after bombs were hurled."

Canning MLA Shoukat Mollah, however, claimed that BJP miscreants had attacked Swapan Majhi and two others ahead of the panchayat polls.