CPI(M) leader shot dead in Nandigram

Nandigram, Aug 06 (UNI) Secretary of the CPI(M)'s Rajaramchak local committee Niranjan Mandal was today gunned down by unidentified miscreants at Kendamari under Nandigram police station in East Midnapore district.

Superintendent of Police S S Panda informed that Mr Mandal, also a teacher at the Garchakraberia School, was returning home from the school when the motorcycle-borne assailants pumped four rounds into his body at around 1630 hours this evening.

The CPI(M) leader died on the spot.

A huge police contingent, led by the SP, had rushed to the spot.

However, police could not yet send the body for post-mortem as scores of Trinamool Congress and Bhumi Ucched Pratirodh Committee (BUPC) activists laid a siege to the area and prevented police from reaching the spot.

In another incident, CPI(M)'s Sonachura local committee secretary Jaideb Pyke was critically injured last night when unidentified gunmen fired at him.

Mr Pyke was rushed to the Kamarda Hospital at Khejuri from where he was shifted to Tamluk Hospital.

However, as his condition deteriorated, he was referred to the Chittaranjan Hospital in Kolkata.

Meanwhile, former Zilla Parishad Sabhadipati Niranjan Sihi criticised the police administration for its ''failure to provide security to the people and maintain law and order.'' '' Trinamool and BUPC activists are threatening and pressurising our men to join their party. The CPI(M) supporters are also not being allowed to undertake agricultural operation in their farmland, '' Mr Sihi said.

Combing operations had been launched throughout the area to nab the assailants.

However, none had been arrested so far, the SP said.

The CPI(M) called a 24-hour bandh in Nandigram tomorrow to protest the incident.

UNI XC DPM SJC RN1743