46-year-old TMC worker killed in Hooghly

A 46-year-old Trinamool Congress worker was killed at Balagar in Hooghly on Friday, with this the death toll of TMC workers has reached 14.

The brazen attack on Trinamool Congress workers continues despite repeated complaints to the Election Commission seeking steps against such incidents.

Since April 25, post elections in Howrah there have been reports of attacks on Trinamool Congress workers almost every day, and from Thursday, similar incidents are taking place at Hooghly where the election is scheduled today.

On Friday morning local people found the body of the 46-year-old Nanda Malik in a paddy field. 

Preliminary investigation revealed that Malik was missing for the past three days. Local Trinamool Congress leaders claimed that Malik was kidnapped and tortured to death. Sushanta Karmakar, the local Trinamool Congress leader said that goons backed by CPI(M) had murdered Malik to unleash terror in the area ahead of the elections.

Local people staged a demonstration protesting against the murder of Malik. They threatened to launch a larger movement if the accused were not brought to book soon. A large police contingent was deployed and police pickets set up to avoid further deterioration of  law and order in the area.

In another major incident, some CPI(M) backed goons ransacked the party office of Trinamool Congress at Krishnaganj Bazar near Goghat in Hooghly in the dead of the night. On Friday morning the workers and leaders of the party found several torn posters and banners with photographs of Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee and party’s nominee from the area Manas Majumder. 

When they reached the bazaar area they found that the miscreants had even ransacked the party office. They decamped with valuables including a television set and around Rs 5,000 cash. The party’s flags and banners were torched. Local Trinamool Congress leader Bikash Roy blamed CPM goons for the incident. People will cast vote in favour of Trinamool Congress because they do not want to bring back those dark days.

A similar incident took place at Srirampore in Hooghly where a tent of Trinamool Congress that was erected for the purpose of election, was torched.

Complaints have been lodged with the police, and district TMC leaders have approached the Election Commission.