3 killed in clashes over panchayat board formation

Three persons were killed and 17 others injured in group clashes over the formation of a panchayat board in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district, the police said today.

Reacting to the violence, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in an apparent reference to the BJP, said one political party has made the "politics of killing a model".

The two groups hurled bombs and fired bullets at each other at Amdanga Block last night, leading to the death of three persons, police said.

The acts of violence were restricted to Bargachia, Taraberia and Mahisgachi areas of the district today, they said, adding that the situation was now under control.

The police arrested two persons and detained 12 others in connection with the violence.

The Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel have been deployed in the disturbed areas, police said.

The officer-in-charge of Amdanga police station Manash Das has been removed, police sources said.

The chief minister said those who do not have confidence resort to the politics of terror and killing.

"They are resorting to killings in a planned manner", she said.

Stating that they (BJP)have brought arms from outside, she said that many TMC workers were killed. "One political

party don't want healthy democracy", she said. Referring to reports that arms were smuggled into Amdanga, she said, "We are probing it".

"What happened in Jhargram. They have started terror and killing there after winning a few seats," she told reporters at the state secretariat.

Yesterday, Banerjee had said, "The BJP won just a few seats in an erstwhile Maoist hotbed of Jangalmahal and resorted to politics of killing. The former CPI(M) goons are now working for them.".

State Minister and Trinamool Congress North 24 Parganas district president Jyoti Priya Mallick claimed that two of the deceased persons were members of his party.

He further said 15 Trinamool Congress workers were injured in the clashes.

Accusing the CPI(M) and the BJP of resorting to violence, Mallick said the police would unearth all the illegal arms and weapons.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said the politics of terror and violence was "patronized by the ruling party."

It is daylight murder of democracy, he said.

The violence followed similar clashes in North Dinajpur, Malda and Purulia districts since Monday in which four persons were killed and several others injured.

Banerjee had appealed for peace following the incidents.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)