Five killed in clash over school poll

BEHRAMPORE: A victory rally brought out by a school managing committee sparked a CPM-Congress clash in Ghughupara village in Murshidabad's Islampur on Monday, leaving five persons dead and 15 injured, some of them critically.

There were fears that the toll might increase. The violence occurred barely a kilometre from a police outpost.

Tension began after CPM won all six seats of Paharpur High School's managing committee on Sunday and organised a victory rally. According to locals, some of the participants in the rally ridiculed Congress for failing to win a single seat.

Around 6.30 am on Monday, a group of around 30 armed men — allegedly Congress supporters — attacked Ghughupara and raided a number of houses. Within minutes, it snowballed into a full-fledged clash, which continued for around two hours.

Of the five dead, four were CPM supporters — the party's Islampur zonal committee member Ruhul Amin, 45, and party workers Lal Mohammed, 40, Anarul Sheikh, 34, and Rabiul Sheikh, 37. Congress supporter Barjahan Sheikh alias Dilar Sheikh, too, lost his life.

Policemen from the local outpost reached the spot during the clash but villagers said they were heavily outnumbered and failed to do anything. Murshidabad SP B L Meena rushed to the spot with a large police force around noon and "took control of the situation" by arresting 25 people. The violence had ended by then.

The tension is still palpable in the area and most male members of Hurshi, Paharpur and Lochanpur gram panchayat areas have fled home.

IG (law and order) Surajit Kar Purakayastha said the clash was apparently a fallout of the Paharpur High School managing committee election. "The election held on Sunday passed off peacefully. The IG (South Bengal) has gone to the spot," he added.

Both Congress and CPM leaders blamed the other for starting the violence, adding that police inaction allowed the violence to spiral out of control. MP Adhir Chowdhury, who is also the district Congress president, said: "Police reached three hours late. We had informed them, but they remained inactive. They helped the CPM-backed goons, who killed our party worker Dilar Sheikh and critically injured five party workers."

Chowdhury said villagers had simply tried to "avenge the attack on Dilar". "If CPM can launch violence over a school managing committee, just imagine what sort of violence it will unleash over the coming assembly polls. Congress will not yield an inch but will do everything in a democratic fashion."

Nripen Chowdhury, the district CPM secretary, said: "Our party workers organised a victory rally after winning the Paharpur school managing committee election. Congress goons attacked our party workers in the morning and there was nobody to stop it. Everybody knows how the goons broke into Ruhul Amin's home and dragged him out before killing him.

They even heckled the women in his household. Police could have easily controlled the situation had they been more active. We have called a 12-hour bandh in Islampur to protest against the planned attack."

Meena, however, said: "Police were overpowered. There is no question of inaction. Twenty-five people have been arrested and raids are on to nab others."