The two bodies recovered last night from a canal at Jadubarichawk have been identified to be of CPM activists. East Midnapore district police chief P K Ghosh said the deceased, Sahabuddin Khan and Abdullah Khan, were lynched by villagers.

Eighteen persons have been arrested in connection with Saturday’s violence. Violence broke out on Saturday morning at Jadubarichawk, Osman Chawk and other areas of Nandigram and police had to intervene to control the situation.

CPM district committee member Bera alleged that Trinamool supporters had killed their members and unleashed a reign of terror in the area during the elections due to which the party could not place polling agents at the booths.

Local Trinamool leader Soam Kazi, however, said Sahabuddin and Abdullah attacked the villages with firearms aided by hired goons. They ransacked houses in Jadubarichawk before the villagers caught them.

Sahabuddin was staying at Jalpai village in Nandigram, said his father Farid Khan. He received the news of his son’s death this morning and his elder son Shahjahan went to the police station to identify his brother. The body has been handed over to the Tamluk hospital for postmortem.

Police maintained a strong vigil in the sensitive areas of Nandigram. Ghosh said the situation is under control. The villagers of Garchakraberia recovered a few crude bombs from villages and the police seized them later.

In a related development, Nandigram police arrested 10 people in connection with the death of Yaseen Meer, brother of rape victim Sabina Bibi (name changed to protect her identity).

... contd.