KOLKATA: Human skeletons were unearthed beneath the property of former CPI(M) leader Bijan Mukherjee during construction work in Ashoknagar, North 24 Parganas, prompting an immediate forensic investigation to determine their origin and age.
Police sources said construction workers initially discovered two skulls while digging the foundation for a new house. As excavation continued, more skeletons were recovered, leading authorities to cordon off the site. Preliminary reports indicate the skeletons are decades old, but the exact timeline and identities will only be confirmed after forensic analysis, with the remains sent to a specialized laboratory.
Local residents, including Ashish Mukherjee, a relative of Bijan Mukherjee, confirmed that the land belonged to the late CPI(M) leader. “My uncle lived here, and the house has been closed since his death in 2013. Now, as the land is being divided for new construction, the skeletons came to light,” Ashish said. Mausami Mukherjee, his wife, added that the property remained largely unoccupied after Bijan Mukherjee and his wife passed away, except for occasional visits by family members.
Trinamool Congress MLA Narayan Goswami alleged the skeletons were found beneath the bedroom floor and claimed they could be linked to Congress workers who disappeared during the 1980s, calling it evidence of the CPI(M)’s “tainted history” in Ashoknagar and Howrah. However, critics note that TMC’s claims may also be politically motivated, with opposition leaders accusing the ruling party of trying to exploit decades-old incidents for political mileage.
Goswami referenced a 2002 case in which a decomposed body was recovered from a local water tank, suggesting a pattern of political violence in the region. CPI(M) supporters, however, have dismissed such claims, arguing that the TMC is using the skeleton discovery to defame the party without any verified evidence.
In a similar case from June 2011, human skeletons were found near the residence of CPI(M) leader and former West Bengal minister Sushanta Ghosh in West Midnapore. Ghosh and two associates were subsequently arrested. The discovery followed an FIR filed by villager Shyamal Acharya, who alleged that one of the skeletons belonged to his father, Ajay Acharya, a TMC worker missing since September 2002. DNA testing later confirmed that one of the recovered skeletons was indeed Ajay Acharya’s.
