Roy visited their homes in Nandalalpur village and talked with the families for over an hour. After the visit, he said: “I came according to the instruction of Mamata Benerjee.”

Pradip (45) and Biswanath (40) were relatives who resided near each other. At 10 pm on Friday, some unknown men had called and forcibly taken them away. Soon the families heard gunfire and the bullet-riddled bodies were discovered beside nearby pond the next morning.

The men were killed by hired goons of the CPM, who had called at their homes in police uniform, Roy said. Biswanath and Pradip were fighting for “a change”. He also said the CPM was terrorising the area with the help of the joint forces, which was why the Trinamool was demanding the withdrawal of the forces from the area.

Refusing to confirm the involvement of CPM men, the local police said they are investigating the murders. The families had lodged a complaint on Saturday after the bodies were found, an officer said.

According to the Jhargram police, Pradip and Biswanath were involved with local PCAPA. They also were in touch with Maoists. But the police failed to confirm whether they were wanted in any specific case. An officer of Jhargram police said: “We are trying to find out the record on their criminal activities”.