Tamluk, Jan. 3: Suspected Maoists today slit the throats of two brothers who were leaders of a CPM-backed resistance group in West Midnapore’s Belpahari.

Anath and Hiteswar Singh went to their field early this morning to separate the rice grain from the plant. Around 7am, villagers found their bodies lying about 500 metres from their home at Shyamnagar.

Their father and uncle had been killed earlier. Uncle Tharu was killed only three days ago, on the last day of 2009. Father Govind Singh, a CPM branch committee member, was gunned down in December 2007.

Police said like Anath and Hiteswar, their uncle was a member of the Santrashbirodhi Ganapratirodh (People’s Resistance Against Terror) Committee. “The brothers were murdered because they were mobilising public opinion against the Maoists,” said West Midnapore superintendent of police Manoj Verma.

Anath, 40, and Hiteswar, 35 were possibly picked up from the field and killed elsewhere.

They had left home at 3am. The police said it was not unusual for farmers to start work that early. They use gaslights.

The resistance group had started taking shape in the Shyamnagar area before the joint forces moved into Lalgarh last June. “Since October, four activists of the anti-Maoists outfit have been murdered in the area. Two villagers are still missing,” a police officer said.

In another incident, Jhantu Patra, 30, was shot dead by suspected Maoists at Bamal village in Lalgarh.

Police said vegetable seller Jhantu was dragged out of his home late last night and shot in his chest. Villagers spotted the body in a field about a kilometre from his home this morning and called the police.

The assailants left posters near the body saying Jhantu was killed because he was a police informer.