Burdwan (WB), Feb 22: Two senior CPI(M) leaders, including former party MLA Pradip Tah, were today hacked to death by suspected Trinamool workers in Burdwan town during a procession to drum up support for the countrywide February 28 industrial strike call.

The attackers armed with spears, rods and lathis attacked Tah and CPI(M) district committee member Kamal Gayen at Dewandighi area in the town, Burdwan Superintendent of Police S A M Mirza told reporters.
Gayen was rushed to the Burdwan Medical College and Hospital and Gayen to a Kolkata hospital, where both died of their injuries, Mirza said.
    Police sources said four Trinamool Congress supporters from Mirzapur area Choton Chakraborty, Patitpaban Tah, Suji Tah and Gopal Goswami have been arrested.
    The police were searching for some more attackers, the sources said.
    Reinforcements were rushed to the area in view of high tension.
    CPI(M)'s district committee secretary Amal Haldar said the killing of Tah, a former MLA from the Burdwan North Assembly constituency and Gayen, "was cold-blooded murder by Trinamool Congress which is now isolated from the masses."
    The processonists were also protesting yesterday's attack on CPI(M) workers at Deondighi allegedly by Trinamool Congress men.
    CPI(M) has called a 12-hour bandh in Burdwan district tomorrow to protest the killing.

CPI(M) holds Mamata responsible for killing of leaders

Holding Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee responsible for the killing of two party leaders in West Bengal's Burdwan town today, the CPI(M) demanded a statement from her on the incident.
"The chief minister has the biggest responsibility as the supreme leader of her party (Trinamool Congress), the home minister and the head of the state," Leader of Opposition and and CPI(M) leader Suryakanta Mishra told reporters here.
"She has to make a statement," Mishra said, accusing the administration of playing a partisan role.
"The administration is hand in-glove with the ruling partyand its goons who have unleashed a reign of terror in the state. The entire state is burning, the ruling party is taking the state towards anarchy," he alleged.
CPI(M) leaders Pradip Tah and Kamal Gayen were killed in an attack during a procession in Burdwan town.
Claiming that with these deaths, so far 58 CPI(M) workers and leaders have been killed since the Assembly elections last year, he said, "These incidents show in which direction the state is moving."
CPI(M) has called a 12-hour bandh in Burdwan district tomorrow and rallies would be held in other parts of the state to protest the attack, he said, before leaving for Dewandighi in Burdwan town, where the incident occurred this morning.
Holding an impromptu press conference outside the Assembly gate since such press meets have been banned inside the premises by the Speaker when the House was not in session, Mishra said, "No one can prevent us from making the (industrial) strike successful on February 28."
He also criticised the government's decision not to grant leave to employees on February 28.