Tit-for-tat attacks at night

BIRESWAR BANERJEE  & SOUMYA DE SARKAR, TT,  Siliguri, Sept. 13: Trinamul and CPM activists clashed last night on the Siliguri's outskirts of Matigara after a ruling party leader alleged that he had been shot at.

Durlabh Chakraborty, a local Trinamul leader who is a panchayat candidate in the Mahakuma elections, said CPM workers had fired at him while he was returning from a party meeting. Chakraborty did not suffer any bullet injury, said doctors at the nursing home where he is admitted. As his car went out of control, he suffered injuries because of that.

Minister Gautam Deb blamed the CPM for the attack. "We will not let the CPM re-establish its reign of terror ahead of the polls. There will be resistance," he said.

Around 10pm, a group of suspected Trinamul workers barged into the CPM office at Atharokhai and thrashed some activists there.

"Two of our leaders, Ashim Chowdhury, the local committee secretary, and Ashok Roy, were mercilessly beaten up," said Arabinda Ghosh, a district committee member of CPM from Atharokhai.

Chowdhury and Roy are under treatment in nursing homes.

The CPM allegedly retaliated and assaulted a Trinamul worker at Balason Colony in Matigara hours around midnight. Two CPM activists have been arrested for the alleged attack.