It’s not skeletons but guns this time around. In an interesting turn, 70 guns, mostly country-made single shotters, were found buried in the bank of a canal near a CPI(M) party office at Ennayatpur village in West Midnapore district on Wednesday.
The Trinamool Congress leaders of the area have lodged an FIR accusing a bunch of local CPI(M) leaders of the act, including the zonal committee chief Dipak Sarkar.
The CPI(M) leaders have been charged under the Arms Act under sections 25, 27 and 35–all non bailable offences. Dipak Sarkar--the main accused– is also believed to be a close associate of ex-CPI(M) minister Sushanta Ghose, accused in the skeleton recovery case but out on bail at present. The FIR also names Satyen Maity, another local CPI(M) strongman.
It is believed that the CPI(M) was hoarding arms in the run up to the panchayat elections in the state. ‘The cadres stored arms everywhere in the district in order to make their presence felt. All weapons have not been recovered yet. If the party men are arrested and interrogated, these arms might be found and political violence before the elections might be averted,’ said TMC district president Pradyot Ghosh.
The CRPF had specific information about the buried arms, they said. Meanwhile, a landmine, 30 kg of explosives and a musket believed to have been hoarded by Maoists were recovered from Dharampur.
The Trinamool Congress leaders of the area have lodged an FIR accusing a bunch of local CPI(M) leaders of the act, including the zonal committee chief Dipak Sarkar.
The CPI(M) leaders have been charged under the Arms Act under sections 25, 27 and 35–all non bailable offences. Dipak Sarkar--the main accused– is also believed to be a close associate of ex-CPI(M) minister Sushanta Ghose, accused in the skeleton recovery case but out on bail at present. The FIR also names Satyen Maity, another local CPI(M) strongman.
It is believed that the CPI(M) was hoarding arms in the run up to the panchayat elections in the state. ‘The cadres stored arms everywhere in the district in order to make their presence felt. All weapons have not been recovered yet. If the party men are arrested and interrogated, these arms might be found and political violence before the elections might be averted,’ said TMC district president Pradyot Ghosh.
The CRPF had specific information about the buried arms, they said. Meanwhile, a landmine, 30 kg of explosives and a musket believed to have been hoarded by Maoists were recovered from Dharampur.