Das (59) was killed on Friday when bandh supporters pelted the bus he was travelling in with stones. He was on
his way to office in Raiganj. A stone smashed the glass pane. Shards of glass flew out and critically injured Das and two others. Minutes later, Das breathed his last at Raiganj Sadar Hospital.

“We’ve arrested two people in connection with the case,” said North Dinajpur SP Pradeep Sanyal. He was in Islampur when the incident took place. IG (law and order) Raj Kanojia said the injured were rushed to hospital, where Das died. Das — a member of CPM’s co-ordination committee — had boarded a Malda-Cooch Behar NBSTC bus near his College Para residence. He worked at the BDO office at Karandighi. When the bus reached Sohrai More (three km from Raiganj) six picketers started throwing stones at it. The windscreen smashed. Das, the driver and another passenger were injured. It was around 9 am.

Apurba Ray, a relative, recounted how Das was still trying to cope with his personal tragedy. “His 15-year-old son Partha died of thalassaemia in 1986. Four years later, his 13-year-old daughter, too, died of thalassaemia,” Ray said.

Two years later, his third child was born. He was named Arpan, and in him, the Das family found new hope. But on August 24 this year, Arpan (14), a Class-VIII student, died of thalassaemia. Das and wife Shipra broke down completely after this.

Police claimed the arrested duo was from SUCI, while CPM blamed Trinamul for the “barbaric act”.