'Maoists' kill four in West Midnapore

Suspected Maoists have killed four political party workers separately in the Jhargram sub-division of West Midnapore district, police said on Friday.

While two of the victims were Communist Party of India-Marxist workers, the other two were activists of Jharkhand Party and Trinamool Congress.

Three were gunned down, while one was hacked to death after they were dragged out of their houses on Thursday night by the Shyamal squad of the Maoists, they said.

CPI-M workers Manorajan Mahto, 45, and Rathindranath Gop, 34, were killed at Birmadal and Odolchua villages respectively. Gop was a hostel super of Odolchua high school.

Thirty-year-old Raghunath Murmu, a Jharkhand Party worker, was killed at Chirugora village, they said. He was once the upa-pradhan of Shimulpal gram panchayat.

The fourth person, Hikim Murmu, 50, a Trinamool Congress activist, was hacked to death at Kalaberia village under Beliabera police station. Claiming that Hikim was killed by the CPI-M goons, a mob, believed to be supporters of People's Committee against Police Atrocities, obstructed the police to collect the body demanding the immediate arrest of the killers, police said.

Later, a large police contingent reached the spot and collected the body. Local CPI-M leaders, however, said the party was not responsible for the killing.