Thaindian News

Kolkata, Feb 23 (IANS) Amid allegations that slain former Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) legislator Pradeep Tah was not given due honour in the West Bengal assembly, thousands of Left Front workers Thursday took part in his last journey that stretched from Kolkata to Burdwan district.

Tah, who represented Burdwan North, was hacked and stoned to death along with another CPI-M leader Kamal Gayen at Dewandighi close to Burdwan town Wednesday.

Tah’s body, brought to the city from Burdwan overnight, was taken in a procession to the state headquarters of the Marxist labour arm Centre of Indian Trade Unions, the CPI-M state headquarters at Alimuddin Street and the assembly.

At Alimuddin Street, former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Left Front chairman Biman Bose and CPI-M politburo member Mohammad Amin draped the body in a red cloth and garlanded it amid cries of “Pradeep Tah amar rahe”.

Leaders of other Left Front partners also paid floral tributes.

When the cortege reached the assembly, the Left Front legislators resorted to a protest after the authorities denied permission to the electronic media for covering the wreath laying ceremony inside the building’s premises.

Angry left legislators decided to pay tributes on the road outside the assembly, with former speaker Hasim Abdul Halim alleging that the behaviour of the authorities was an insult to the former lawmaker and also parliamentary democracy.

Leader of Opposition Surjya Kanta Mishra regretted that neither the speaker nor his deputy “cared” to be present there to pay respects to the leader.

Life came to a virtual standstill in Burdwan district following a shutdown called by the CPI-M in protest against the twin killings. There was, however, no breach of peace Thursday.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had described the killings as the “result of internal clash (within CPI-M)”.

Four people arrested in connection with the killings were remanded to jail custody till March 6 by a district court.