April 10: Two Congress workers were shot by a bike-borne gang of alleged CPM activists today as violence marred the run-up to the panchayat polls.

Congress workers in Murshidabad’s Hurshi village, about 250km from Calcutta, were holding a meeting in front of Jamal Sheikh’s house around 7 this morning when a group of armed men arrived on motorcycles.

They surrounded the Congress workers and began hurling bombs, police said.

Most of the Congress workers fled but Jamal, 24, and Abdur Rahim, 25, stood up to the attackers and asked them to stop.

“The attackers then dragged Jamal and Abdur to the village square and one of them shot them with a revolver at point-blank range,” an officer said.

Jamal died on the spot while Abdur lay bleeding on the road. After the bikers sped away, villagers rushed Abdur to hospital but he died on the way.

District superintendent of police Basab Dasgupta said 10 other Congress workers received bomb splinter injuries. “We have arrested 14 people, 12 of whom are CPM supporters,” he said.

The Congress had won the last panchayat polls in the area and the CPM is desperate to regain lost ground.

The police said the killings could also have been in retaliation to the murder of a CPM supporter on March 9.

Congress workers and supporters blocked the Behrampore-Karimpur road for two hours this morning to protest against the “CPM’s terror tactics”.

The CPM has denied a hand in the deaths.

Blood flowed in Nandigram’s Garchakraberia too, where 10 Bhoomi Uchchhed Pratirodh Committee members were injured in a clash over writing poll graffiti.

In Burdwan, alleged CPM activists tried to kidnap the husband of a Trinamul Congress leader last night, demanding that she withdraw her panchayat poll nomination, but fled when the couple raised an alarm.

A group of about 35 youths, allegedly belonging to the CPM’s youth wing, DYFI, arrived in three Sumos and bikes and stormed the house of Chhabirani Das in Bhatar.

“They pointed a revolver at my husband, Billeswar, and dragged him out. They threatened me saying if I did not withdraw from the poll fray, they would kill my husband. They also beat us up. But they fled when we screamed and villagers came running,” Chhabirani said.

The gang left a Sumo behind, which the villagers set on fire.