Kolkata, June 2 (IANS) Three people were killed in West Bengal’s Burdwan district area Thursday when unidentified gunmen fired indiscriminately at an under-construction building, police said.
‘Three people have been killed in firing in Asansol town area,’ said Burdwan’s Superintendent of Police (SP) Humayun Kabir.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee hinted at the involvement of the coal mafia in the firing incident and also announced ex-gratia payment to the victims’ families.
‘The miscreants fired indiscriminately. I have called up the ADG (Additional Dirctor General of Police), Law and Order (Surajit Kar Purakayastha), and the DG (Director Geenral of Police Naparajit Mukherjee) for a meeting and have asked the SP (Superintendent of Police) to rush to the spot,’ Banerjee told mediapersons at the state secretariat, Writers’ Buildings.
‘We have also ordered that the borders be sealed so that the culprits may not flee. The coal mafia is very active there. Illegal mining is rampant. It is a border area but the police have been told to be vigilant and pro-active.’
‘Under the patronage of certain political parties, the coal mafia has grown out of control,’ she alleged, but asserted that such incidents would not be tolerated.
Banerjee promised ‘exemplary punishment’ for those involved in crime. ‘The families of the victims will be given monetary assistance although money can never fill their void,’ she added.
