Maoists kill three of a family in West Midnapore

KOLKATA - Three members of a family were killed Friday in West Bengal’s West Midnapore district by Maoists on suspicion that they were police informers, police said.

“We were informed that three bodies of unknown persons were lying on the road in Kolaboni forest,” Superintendent of Jhargram Police district Praveen Tripathi said.

“The bodies were recovered and later identified as Gopal Mantri, his son Rajib and cousin Tapan, residents of Bagjhapa in Kolaboni area in Jhargram sub-division.”

“Maoist posters were also recovered from the area which state that the three were given capital punishment in the peoples’ court for acting as police informers,” said Tripathi.

The three were first beaten severely and then arrows were shot at them from very close range, police said.

The villagers of Bagjapha said that Thursday night a gang of armed Maoists attacked the village and dragged out some people from the village, including the Mantri members.

The other villagers were let off after being thrashed while the Mantri family members were taken to the Maoists’ “peoples’ court” in the adjacent village of Chakua Thursday night.

The Maoists are active in three western districts — West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia — of the state.