Bengal minister injured in bomb attack in railway station

West Bengal ministerJakir Hossain was seriously injured after unidentifiedattackers hurled a crude bomb at him in Nimtita railwaystation in Murshidabad district on Wednesday night, policesaid.

At least two other persons, who were with theTrinamool Congress MLA of Jangipur, were also injured in theincident which occurred ahead of the assembly election in WestBengal due in April-May this year.

Senior minister and TMC leader Malay Ghatak held''political rivals of the party'' responsible for the attack,while Sabhadhipati of Murshidabad Zilla Parishad MosharafHossain, who was expelled from the TMC earlier in the day,claimed that it is the result of the party's internal feud.

Hossain, the minister of state for labour, was waitingat platform no 2 of the station to catch a train to Kolkata ataround 10 pm when he was attacked, a senior police officer ofWest Bengal Police told PTI.

''We have started an investigation,'' he said addingthat a large police contingent was posted at Nimtita railwaystation.

The minister and the two other injured persons weretaken to Jangipur Sub-divisional Hospital, he said.

An official of the hospital said that the ministersuffered ''injuries on his legs and lower abdominal part. Weare trying to stabilise him before shifting him to a hospitalin Kolkata.'' When contacted, Ghatak told PTI that Jakir is a verypopular leader in Murshidabad.

''He has successfully conducted rallies where thousandsof people participated. It's the work of our political rivals.

They wanted to kill Jakir,'' Ghatak said.

The TMC's Murshidabad district president Abu TaherKhan suspected the involvement of the BJP or the Congress,which was very strong in the district even a few years back,behind the attack.

BJP national general secretary in-charge of BengalKailash Vijayvargiya and state the party's state presidentDilip Ghosh condemned the attack on Hossain.

''I strongly condemn the crude bomb attack on TMCminister Jakir Hossain at Nimtita railway station,Murshidabad. I pray for speedy recovery of the injured,''Vijayvargiya tweeted.

''This shows that West Bengal is not safe even forministers. The law and order has totally failed,'' Ghosh said.

West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury,who hails from the district, said, ''Jakir is an honest leaderunlike several others in the TMC in Murshidabad. I know himpersonally. I request the state government to arrest theculprits as soon as possible.'' PTI SCHNN NN