Poll fallout: Families of those killed seek 'exemplary punishment'

Kolkata: The next of kin and relatives of the Trinamool Congress workers who were killed by goons allegedly enjoying patronage of BJP and CPI-M, have demanded exemplary punishment of the criminals.

So far, 10 Trinamool leaders and workers have been killed - six on the day of the Panchayat election on May 14 and four during post poll violence.

"It is unfortunate that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is blaming Trinamool for the poll related violence in Bengal, should know that the violence here has been engineered by his party workers, along with CPI-M. He should be ashamed of the atrocities of his partymen," said the family members and relatives of Ujjal Sur, a resident of Gopal Kaviraj Road in Habra in North 24-Parganas.

Sur, a Trinamool Congress supporter, had raised his voice against the goons allegedly backed by CPI-M and BJP in the polling stations on May 14. When he was returning home, the criminals accosted him and beat him up with iron rods and sticks and then left him on the road in a pool of blood.

He was declared brought dead when taken to hospital. Sur's family members alleged that BJP and CPI-M had unleashed a reign of terror in the area before the polls.

It may be recalled that state Food minister Jyotipriyo Mullick had alleged that BJP had engaged criminals from Bangladesh, to create trouble in vast areas surrounding Habra.

Thirty -eight-year-old Aditya Singh Mallah, another Trinamool Congress supporter, was attacked by BJP and CPI-M goons in Purulia and killed during post poll violence. "My brother was loved by all in the locality. He was a Trinamool activist and we never thought that he would be killed in broad daylight near our house," said Aditya's elder brother, adding "we want stringent action against the criminals."

"Arrest Kanti Ganguly and Sujan Chakraborty and punish them, for they have created trouble in the area," said Arif Ali Gazi's wife. Gazi, a resident of Kultuli in South 24-Parganas, was also murdered.

Demands to arrest the BJP and CPI-M backed miscreants were also raised by the relatives of Krishnapada Sarkar, a resident of Tehatta in Nadia. The miscreants had attacked him with sharp weapons, killing him on the spot.

They had also set a couple of motorcycles on fire, to scare the people of the area. The residents alleged that the goons had threatened Sarkar, not to raise his voice against them. Sarkar had refused and paid a price for it.

Political experts said CPI-M has received a fresh gush of adrenalin because of BJP and the duo is trying to unleash a reign of terror in rural Bengal, thereby trying to defame the state government. "CPI-M has always tried to reap the benefit of confusion and they are trying this tactic once again," a political expert said.