Naskar’s house in Basanti was reportedly bombed and set ablaze yesterday, following a clash between the cadres of the two Left Front allies. Her husband, Uday Naskar, who is the minister’s nephew, also sustained burn injuries.

The police are investigating the cause of the explosion. South 24-Parganas SP Praveen Kumar said: “An investigation is on. Forensic experts are collecting samples from the spot. It is very difficult at the moment to pinpoint the cause of fire.”

A 10-member team of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory in Kolkata visited the irrigation minister's ancestral house where the bombs were allegedly thrown. The team, led by the director of the CFSL, Chandranath Bhattacharya, collected samples from the house to establish whether bombs were thrown at the house. The CPM had alleged that it was triggered by some crude bombs and explosives that were stacked in the RSP minister’s residence.

A six-member CID team, led by DSP (HQ) Niladri Chakraborty also visited the house and interrogated locals.

RSP leader and PWD Minister Kshiti Goswami said Gouri’s death re-confirms the CPM’s aggression to capture power at the grassroot level. “I just cannot imagine how a minister’s house can be set ablaze. This will send a wrong signal for the political community,” he said.