Police still clueless about murder of 3 Trinamool workers in Canning

Almost 30 hours have passed since three local Trinamool Congress leaders were killed in broad daylight at Canning in South 24 Parganas district on Thursday, but the police are still clueless about the masterminds behind the brutal murders.

Till now, a total of four persons have been interrogated, while the police have filed FIRs against six suspects. However, all the six persons against whom FIRs have been lodged, including the prime suspect, Rafiqul, are still missing.

Also, the police have not yet been able to locate a single weapon that was used in the killings. According to state police sources, the murder weapons always act as the key exhibit in such cases and hence locating them is equally important.

On Friday, a police team conducted search operations at Rafiqul's residence twice. However, no crucial clues were recovered from there. Rafiqul's mother was also questioned about her son's whereabouts. However, she could not give any satisfactory answer on this count. She went on claiming that her son was a close associate of the ruling Trinamool Congress.

Meanwhile, a group of local residents ransacked the house of Rafiqul. They alleged that Rafiqul, a history- sheeter involved in multiple crimes including drug peddling, killed the three local Trinamool Congress leaders namely Swapan Majhi, Bhutnath Pramanik and Jhantu Halder.

All the three victims were both hacked and shot to ensure their deaths.

Meanwhile, local Trinamool MLA from Canning (West) constituency, Paresh Ram Das, who was close to all the three victims, has claimed that the situation has become so horrifying in the area that he is having apprehension that he might also be killed any time.

He also said that Swapan Majhi had informed the police almost a month back about his apprehension of life threat. "It is unfortunate that even after that he was killed in broad daylight," he said.

State BJP spokesman Shamik Bhattacharya said that when the MLA of the ruling party is apprehending life threat, the law and order situation in the state is imaginable.

"It is not just the common people or the supporters of the opposition parties for whom the situation is unsafe in West Bengal. The state is not even safe for the elected representatives of the ruling party," he said.

--IANS

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