With barely a week left for the panchayat polls in West Bengal's Purulia district, maoist ultras have struck the Communist Party of India-Marxist in two consecutive days, killing two of its leaders, the police said on Tuesday.
Dubraj Hembram, 50, local committee member of the party, was shot dead by a gang of maoists at his village Hitinglohar under Balarampur police station on Monday night.
The maoist gang probably fled to Jharkhand, neighbouring Purulia, sources said.
On Sunday, CPI-M zonal committee member Ganapati Bhadra, and local committee member Rampada Mandi were shot at by maoists at Bhomragarh village in Bandawan around noon. Bhadra died and Mandi was in hospital. His condition is stated to be stable.
Protesting against the attack on them, the CPI-M called a 12-hour bandh in Bandwan on Monday.
The three-tier panchayat polls in Purulia district will be held on May 11.
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