Kolkata, June 15 (IANS): Four people have been arrested and an FIR registered against former West Bengal minister and CPI-M leader Kanti Ganguly in connection with the killing of at least four Trinamool Congress activists in South 24-Parganas district.
The incident happened in Khari village in Raidighi in the district Saturday night when some miscreants hurled bombs and opened fire at the activists, killing four of them and injuring three others when they had gathered together for a meeting.
"We have arrested four people in this connection," Superintendent of Police (South 24-Parganas) Pravin Kumar Tripathi said.
"Twenty-one people have been named in the FIR, including Ganguly," he added.
Reacting to the development, Ganguly rubbished the charges and said it was an attempt to malign him.
Accusing the Communist Party of India-Marxist activist for the attack, the Trinamool has said it will observe a "Black Day" Monday while a party delegation led by general secretary Mukul Roy will visit the victims' families.
"Trinamool will observe a Black Day tomorrow (Monday) across the state to protest the murder of party workers. A team of senior Trinamool leaders will visit Khari village in Raidighi," senior party leader Partha Chatterjee said.
Incidentally, the BJP which has sent a central delegation to the state to meet the family members of one of its activists killed allegedly by Trinamool goons in Birbhum district, has derided the Mamata Banerjee government over rising incidents of political violence in Bengal.
"Since the Mamata Banerjee government took over, political violence has been on the rise and BJP activists steadily targeted. Since her party came to power, 157 political killings have taken place and 35 political activists have been compelled to commit suicide," BJP vice president Balbir Punj, who is heading the delegation, said.