Kolkata, September 11: Niranjan Sardar (40) alias Naran, a resident of Barasat’s Arifbari area, was shot dead from point blank range late on Wednesday evening. Naran was also severely beaten up before being shot at. According to police, Naran had a criminal past.
But soon after the incident, local Congress supporters hit the street to protest the gruesome murder. They alleged, Naran was an active Congress worker and his murder was engineered by CPM. They blocked NH-34 till late on Wednesday. They kept the body on the highway and chanted slogans against CPM.
According to police, Naran had been standing in front of his house at Arifbari’s Netaji Pally area when the incident occurred. Suddenly, a group of youths appeared there and started beating him with iron rods.
After that, they shot him twice. Naran died on spot.
According to local residents, till a few months ago, Naran was an active CPM worker. But soon after the Lok Sabha polls, he shifted allegiance to Congress. “A state-level Congress leader had requested him to join the party. Just a few months back, he allegedly tried to shoot a journalist,” said a local CPM worker.
—Agencies