Canning (WB): Two activists of the Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) were killed and 12 others injured when armed miscreants attacked a party office at Nalgora in South 24 Parganas district, superintendent of police (SP) Debkumar Ganguly said on October 2.

He said that the miscreants fired and hurled bombs during the attack on October 1 night killing Moslem Mistry on the spot. SUCI district committee member Ashok Haldar also died later.

Nalgora gram panchayat pradhan and the Nalgora local committee secretary Sankar Bhandari and another party worker Mujibur Rahaman were admitted to Calcutta Medical College and Hospital in a serious condition, the SP said.

About 10 others were treated in local hospitals, he said, adding that three persons were arrested.

SUCI Member of Legislature Assembly (MLA) Debaprsad Sarkar alleged it was a pre- planned attack by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) who wanted to gain political control over the area before next year's panchayat election.

Alleging that the attack was led by known criminal Shajahan Lashkar, he said that the miscreants broke the hands of 82-year old Dhiren Ganguly, who was a leader of the Tebhaga Movement.

"We had informed the police that something like this may happen but they did nothing," Sarkar said, adding that the party would not release the bodies till the inspector general of police (South Bengal) came.

Senior CPM leader and Sundarbans Development Minister Kanti Ganguly denied that his party was behind the attack.

Sarkar said in protest against the incident, SUCI would gherao the Kultali police station and observe a bandh in Kultali, Joynagar, Raidighi and Mandirbazar areas on October 3.

PTI