Mamata Says Bomb Attack On Popular Minister Aimed To Kill Him

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said that the bomb attack on state Labour Minister Jakir Hossain on Wednesday night was a well planned one to kill him.

“Jakir is my most popular leader. Whoever did it, their aim was to kill him. A proper investigation should be done into the incident,” Mamata said on Thursday. A special investigation team (SIT) has been constituted to investigate the attack from ‘every angle.’

Hossain was due to board a Kolkata-bound train when bombs exploded around 9.45 pm outside Nimtita railway station in Murshidabad district. The minister and 25-odd Trinamool Congress party workers sustained injuries, of whom about 15 are in serious condition.

Hossain was taken to the district hospital before being shifted to Kolkata early on Thursday.

“Hossain had to be administered several stitches. Doctors told us that he lost a lot of blood,” Trinamool’s Murshidabad district unit president Abu Taher Khan said.

He accused BJP of carrying out the attack.

BJP state president Dilip Ghosh refuted the allegation and claimed that it was a result of Trinamool infighting ahead of the assembly polls. “Murshidabad has become a haven for criminals,” Ghosh said.