Barddhaman: Two political workers belonging to Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) and Trinamool Congress (TC) were killed in an armed clash and a police official injured at Nasipur village under Bhatar Police station of the district, scheduled to go to the panchayat polls on May 11.

The incident occurred in front of the village gram panchayat office when the two sides clashed over its posession on May 6. While a TC supporter died in the clash, the CPM man succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.

The village is traditionally a Congress stronghold but the inhabitants had recently shifted their allegiance to TC.

CPM district secretary Amal Haldar claimed that anti-socials lobbed bombs at a group of his party men sitting in front of the gram panchayat office on May 6 injuring four of them. One of them Sailen Majhi died at the hospital on May 7.

Immediately after the attack, the enraged villagers caught hold of the anti-socials and lynched one Radha Nath Ray. Later, police recovered a revolver and several bombs after searching the man's home, he claimed.

TC district vice-president, however, said CPM activists had created terror in the village and locked the gram panchayat office for the past few days. The clash occurred when TC activists tried to force it open and CPM men threw bombs at them killing Ray at the spot.

Police said, sub-inspector Abhijit Chatterjee was injured when the CPM men tried to force him to conduct a search at Ray’s residence without a search warrant.

Tension prevailed in the village since the clash and police picket has been posted there.

CPIM brought out a procession and carried the body along with it on May 7.

PTI