On the first day of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's two-day visit to Naxal-hit areas, Maoists on Saturday killed three members of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (Rabindra Bose) faction and dumped their bodies on the road near Dahichuri in West Midnapore district.

The three had been missing since Friday. The CPI (Maoist), which claimed the responsibility for the killings, left posters at the site calling them "spies of the police and enemies of the people".

Among the dead were 32-year-old Lakshmi Mohanto, a Vodafone employee, Manoranjan Mahali and Jairam Hansda — all residents of Dahichuri in West Midnapore district. Monalisa Mohanta, Lakshmi's 24-year-old wife, said they had got married only a year ago. "My daughter lost her husband at this young age. What wealth did we amass that my only son had to die? What revolution will they achieve by snatching the only earning member of our family from us?" said Monalisa's mother Rekha Samanta, pointing to their ramshackle house.

West Bengal Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen said, "Today was the foundation day of the People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) and we apprehended they would do something to make it known to the world about their existence. But we will have to push the work of development along with maintaining law and order in Naxal-hit areas."

But the PCAPA denied any role. "We don't indulge in the politics of murder. It's a conspiracy of the CPM to malign us," said Asit Mahato, convenor of the PCAPA.

Reactions from the political parties were mixed, with the CPM saying the Maoists have now turned on the JMM, which patronised them earlier.

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