Union Minister Abu Hashem Khan Chowdhury attacked near kaliachak in West Bengal

KOLKATA: A group of miscreants reportedly close to ruling Trinamool Congress on Tuesday opened fire at the Union minister of state for health and family welfare Abu Hashem Khan Chowdhury's car near Jadupur under Kaliachak of Malda district. The minister was holding a campaign rally for panchayat elections and travelling on a jeep. However, the minister escaped the attack. The miscreants also hurled bombs at the minister's car, but missed their target.

No arrest has so far been made and the minister told ET that Jadupur was a den of anti-socials who have recently taken shelter of the ruling Trinamool Congress. "I think some of these anti-socials had attempted to attack me," Hashem said. Union Minister of state for urban development Deepa Dasmunshi told ET after the incident that "there are two notorious dacoits in Kaliachak named Shera and Hiru. These dacoits are well-connected with criminals from Bihar and they used to carry out a number of criminal activities like dacoity, looting and arson in Kaliachak during the regime of previous Left Front government. Now the duo has taken shelter of the ruling Trinamool Congress and had played a key role behind the attack on our leader and union minister."

State Congress President Pradip Bhattacharjee also said that "miscreants owing allegiance to ruling Trinamool Congress had attacked Khan Chowdhury.

These miscreants were very active in preventing our candidates to file their nomination papers in gram panchayat and panchayat samity seats in Kaliachak. We, had, however, managed to field our candidates in the zilla parishad seats and Khan Chowdhury had gone to Jadupur area this morning to hold a road show on behalf of our zilla parishad candidates when he was attacked. We condemn such an attack by criminals who are close to the ruling party. We are also senind a report to our high command over the incident."" Bhattacharjee will visit Malda to hold talks with Khan Chowdhury and other district party leaders.

Trinamool Congress leader from Malda district and the state's tourism minister Krishnendu Narayan Chowdhury, however, denied any attack on the Union minister by their activists. "The Union minister is safe and there had not been any attack on him. We have asked the police to inquire into the incident," Chowdhury added.