Suspected Maoists kill CPI-M workers in West Bengal

KOLKATA - Suspected Maoists killed two Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) supporters in West Bengal’s West Midnapore district as the indefinite shutdown called by the People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) entered the second day Saturday.

The two bodies were found in the Bandhgora area of Jhargram sub-division in the district Saturday. The duo has been identified as Kaushik Dutta and Paban Mahato.

“We recovered the bodies and sent them for post mortem. We primarily suspect the attack was an act carried out by the Maoists,” a district police officer said.

He said some Maoists posters were also recovered from the spot.

“We saw the Maoist posters scattered around the spot claiming responsibility for the murder,” the officer said.

The posters claimed that Dutta and Mahato, both CPI-M supporters, used to act as police informers.

Shops and markets remained closed in Jhargram and several other areas of three districts - West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia district - in response to the shutdown call given by PCAPA demanding withdrawal of joint security forces.